LOUDERTALE
by Superdimentio77
Summary: When Lincoln wins a free reservation at a resort, he of course invites all of his family to join him. But when said resort is standing next to a certain mountain, their visit up the mount might extend the Loud Siblings' trek by a little bit. What friendship and trials await them? Look out Underground, here come the Louds.
1. Prologue Part 1

**Prologue 1 : A trip for the Louds**

 **Hey, Superdimentio77 here. So... here I am. I'm doing this. I know this is a kind of UT Crossover that has been done to death, but the idea just popped up when I compared the personalities of the UT main characters with the LH main characters. So I said to myself, why the heck not ?**

 **This will be one long Fanfic. I thus must ask for your patience between chapters, as I may have the events down, but instead of the usual one inserted character lines of this type of fic, I'll have to think up dialogues for 11 heroes. Well, 10 and a half, Lily won't be too much of a problem if you know what I mean. I plan to have a character moment/arc for each of the siblings, so that'll be fun. I also want this fic to be humourous, to hold on with the Undertale universe, but with enough feels as well.**

 **Finally, hope you'll enjoy, and wish me good luck. Here we go.**

 **I do not own Undertale (Property of Toby Fox), nor the Loud House (Property of Nickelodeon and Chris Savino).**

* * *

1216 Franklin Avenue. In the little town of Royal Woods, Michigan, this particular place was well known, especially by the neighbouring houses. It had begun eight years ago when Rita and Lynn Sr. Loud came to their new home, accompanied with their five daughters, one toddler of a son, and already a seventh bun in the oven.

The children had already been living up to their name back in the days, and yet more kept coming. Seven, then twins that made nine, then ten, and finally eleven. You wanted a calm friday night ? You came to the wrong neighbourhood buddy, as it wasn't that unusual to see a soccer ball fly off through a window, hear a demented guitar solo, or simply feel the mini earthquake of an experimental explosion that could blow off the house's roof. Litteraly !

The Loud Children had made their mark on the city, whether it was a positive one ( _Captain of many young sport teams, youngest person to get a PhD..._ ) or a negative one ( _Banned from half the swimming pools of the state of Michigan, on every black list of the town's supermarkets and chocolatiers..._ ).

Bottom line, they were a lively bunch. And on this fine Saturday afternoon, as Summer Vacation was flying by, they would become even more restless.

In the living room of the infamous house, rested every one of the ten daughters, each one ongoing their own activities.

First, texting on her cellphone to the man of her dreams, was **Lori** , aka the Prime Loud Child. Well not really, but she did like how it sounded. Lori was what you could describe at first as bossy, especially among her many younger siblings. But her bluntness with her brethren was a necessary evil if it could avoid the household to turn into a pile of smoldering rubble every time her parents went out for date night. And just because cynism was her default mood mode, and texting 'Bobby boo-boo-bear' was her main activity, it didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy some time with her siblings, whether with a board game, watching Dream Boat together, or simply hanging out just _because_. Mean she could be, but she had a very soft spot once you got to know her. Just avoid invading her privacy, especially her phone. Because that girl will turn you into a Human Pretzel, or possibly worse.

Next, painting her only big sis' toenails, was **Leni**. The 16 year-old girl wasn't what you could call the smartest tool in the shed. One could doubt she'd even find her way to say shed. Her passion about her appearance, her dim-witted focus, and her utter incapacity of understanding second degree had rewarded her with the unpleasant nickname of "Dumb Blonde" amongst some of her school comrades. But for those who knew, Leni wasn't as much dumb than she was extremely naïve. If you wanted a message to quickly get across her, get ready to speak 'Leni', which was this close to become its own language. She was also an extreme arachnophobe, the tiniest spider capable of sending her into a frenzied panic. But what Leni lacked in brain, she made up in heart. Leni had an innocence that the siblings couldn't help but want to protect, even if it annoyed them sometimes. She also gave great hugs, and had a fantastic talent when it came to arts, crafts, and fashion.

Next on the list, and mastering another kind of art, was **Luna** , according her trusty purple axe. Luna had two principal mood sets. Chill and easygoing, or passionately rocking ! Before the age of twelve, she actually was rather quiet. Sure she was nice, but she'd always kept to herself, not attracting many friends. Then one day, her father had offered her a ticket to a concert that had turned her entire life upside-down, but in the good way. Gone was the quiet little girl, _Luna Loud_ had been reborn that day, all the way into blasting rock music and cranking it up to eleven ! One goal was set under her dark brown hair : To go down like the eternal legend that was Mick Swagger, her idol. As said, don't expect a moment of calm when Luna was 'in the mood'. Walk too close, and you even might get blasted away by her powerful amp soundwaves. But if you needed some reassuring advice, the purple punk was a good listener, and a pretty nice talker too.

Speaking of talker, testing her comedic material while playing patty cake, was **Luan**. She was the jokester, the comedian of the Loud House, although apart from her dad, her family had grown very tired of her jokes. She could come through once in a while, but her constant wordplays were usually met with groans, eye rolls, or even a whack behind the head. Luan was optimistic, always looking out for a good laugh. But she was no _fool_ (* _Rimshot_ *), she already knew that cracking one-liners in the shower wouldn't get her anywhere. As such, she had started her own business of Birthday Parties Animations, _Funny Business Inc._ , helping her understand the different types of audiences, even making a very good friend in the process. She also had her own comedic website, _Luan Out Loud_ , which had a pretty decent number of followers. All in all, Luan was a rather sweet girl, always trying to bring a smile somewhere. Word of advice though, _avoid all contact with her during April Fools Day. We're talking life or death matter here_.

Bouncing a football around was the following girl on the list, **Lynn Jr.** The 13 year-old tomboy had made her name as an extrodinary athlete here in Royal Woods, heck in all of Michigan. Soccer, american football, baseball, softball, tennis, swimming, basketball, judo, karate, catch, marathon, badminton, hockey, you name it, this girl was in _all_ of them. Except maybe golf and croquet, but that's just because she hadn't made it 'Lynn-style' yet. Lynn always needed something to keep herself active, and always tried to make mundane activities or chores into a sport of some sort. She could get rough, even being a bit of a bully sometimes, but she didn't hurt someone just for the pleasure of seeing them squirm. It was always for exercise or to toughen up her siblings, may they be older or younger. And if you were a bully going for her siblings, you'd better reserve that appointement to the dentist _real fast_.

Then came Lynn's roommate, **Lucy**. She... wait, where was Lucy ? Could have sworn she was there just a minute ago- GAH ! Oh there she was, reading her new book of dark and tortured poems, sighing in gloomy prosperity ever so often. As you could probably guess, Lucy was pure Spookums material. With pitch black hair, pale skin and monochrome clothes, Lucy had the pessimism to Luan's optimism. So young, and already she had grasped the concept of the 'Eternal Oblivion we are all slowly and hopelessly drifting towards to'; her words, not mine. She had the ability to creep out all her siblings, especially with her bouts of teleportation ( _And don't you dare tell me she is just fast and discreet, we all know it doesn't work like that_ ) _._ Every bit of her somber views, she poured them into her poems. And though dark and depressing they were, there certainly was immense talent for a mere 8 year-old girl. But Lucy wasn't really devoid of emotions, you'd just have to do something pretty intense to make her crack a smile. She still joined in her siblings' fun, and loved them all the same. She also had an appreciation for mystical creatures of the night, and a knack for the mystic arts in general.

Up next was the pair of 6 year-old twins. First came **Lana** , who reeked of a tomboy attitude close to Lynn's, but in another context. Exercise was what drove the brown-haired teen forward, while it was the filth itself that made Lana's life. Rainy days were like mini-Christmases for the girl, as it allowed for puddles and puddles of fresh mud she'd roll into with delight. Few things could be considered too gross for Lana. She had also made herself the little handygirl of the Loud House, having already worked her way through many sets of plumbery, car enginges, electricity wires, and ventilation systems. Animals were also her forte. In addition to the four family pets – Charles the Dog, Cliff the Cat, Walt the Bird, and Geo the Hamster – Lana had many more in her room, including toads, snakes, pigs, and even chimps. She even had a bit of an animalistic side herself, as she looked busy scratching her ear with her foot at the moment, before resuming chasing Charles around. She otherwise just wanted to have fun, without a care in the world.

Then, five minutes younger, was the other twin, **Lola**. She was Lana's carbon copy, yet exact opposite in attitude, which commonly rose a lot of fighting between the two. Where the little dirt monkey didn't give one do-do about her appearance, Lola had made it the focus of her life, becoming the pinnacle of what is a 'girly girl'. Her everyday outfit was a _pink_ gown, completed with _pink_ heels, _pink_ gloves, and a shiny tiara resting atop her head. She was extremely narcissistic, if the fact she presently had her eyes lost in her own reflection was any indication, and she was a true pageant queen, swiping the prizes one after the other. But don't let her 'cute little princess' act fool you. Lola was smart, cunning, and above all, devious. She could throw tantrums that scared even her oldest sisters, and her anger fuse was even shorter than Lori's. She wasn't without a heart though, and had even mellowed out a bit after a certain Tattletale incident. She laughed just as much as she whined, though the latter was much louder and dangerous. Ah, youth these days...

Speaking of youth, scribbling down advanced trigonometry notes, was another wonder of the Loud family, **Lisa**. The very young lisped genius had obtained her 6th PhD and 4th Junior Nobel Prize just last week, accumulating to her already large award collection at only 4 years of her life ! She was through with all her classes, from Elementary to College, and casually donned university classes and lectures. With her extended vocabulary and very blasé tone, Lisa could come as indifferent, stoic, cold even. The little genius described this lack of emotions as "not having the time for such tomfoolery, when she could be using those precious seconds to draw new paths for science to advance, and for humanity to evolve as a whole." _Heh_ , she might have gotten herself a lot of awards, but she had none for honesty. Truth be told, she enjoyed a dip in the pool, chicken nuggets, and food fights as much as any other kid. She wasn't ashamed to sometimes partake into her siblings' activities, and have fun right along with them. She also made her fair share of ruckus through her mad scientist's side, with her experiments' 'hindrances', as she called it.

And finally, right at the bottom of the Loud sisters' age order, was little **Lily** , busy playing with Luan while blowing raspberries at her jokes. Lily was a rather joyous baby, her scarce dialogue limited to her siblings' names, Mama, Dada, and of course "Poo-poo", which often was her alert call for the very stinky diapers she could produce. The fact that she was permanently close to Lisa's chemicals might be an explanation for this toxicity. Lily cried, sucked her thumb, and enjoyed lap rodeos like any baby would. But she had other characteristics, like her utter dislike of keeping clothes on, preferring being only clad in a diaper. Sometimes she would even take the diaper off, and run o'naturelle around the house. Lily was also very aware for a baby. Again, might have something to do with sharing the room of the residing genius. She could cry on demand, whoop people's butts on video games, and so much more. She didn't have any special trait like her sisters yet, but she didn't worry about it. She was content of just living with her big family, one diaper at a time.

But enough with all those tedious introductions, let's dive in and see what our protagonists are up to.

" _We can be heroes, just for one day..._ " hummed Luna, skilfully running her fingers through her guitar's cords.

Lori's phone pinged. "Aww, Bobby just sent me a photo of a hedge he shaped into a heart. He's such an artist." Lori sighed dreamily. "And to think we'll be together for six months in only three weeks."

Leni gasped in joy. "Like, that kind of stuff is like getting married ! I'll make you the totes perfectest dress."

"Say Lily, what do you call a tree finding the best of deals ? The _oak_ -asion of a _leaf_ time ! Hehe, get it ?" chortled Luan, proud of her pun. Lily wasn't impressed, as she chucked one of her cubes at her sister, who winced as she received it in the face. "Ow, you got me _square_ in the eye. You really are in _shape_ today, hahahaha !"

"Hey Lisa, are you nailing that project you've talked me about ? I can't wait to play that amazing sport !" whooped Lynn excitedly, mimicking a touchdown.

This made Lisa put her notes aside and roll her eyes conscendingly. "Dear sister of mine, I thought I made clear that until I am in full possession of those blueprints from my fellow mail and idea exchangers, I'd put a pin on it. Which means that as for now, the answer is nada."

"But I wanna play Football X-7 now !"

"I'm afraid the loud sound of me not giving a dang about it makes me unfortunately unable of hearing and accomplishing your request." concluded Lisa as she went back to her notes, leaving a brooding Lynn to mumble something about using a megaphone so that then she would hear her.

Lana was at her 12th lap around the couch, gaining on her black and white target. The only problem was that in doing so, she was producing some dust, which seemed to flutter in her twin's direction. This didn't please the young pageant queen _at all_. "Lana ! Stop your stupid game, you're getting your dirt all over my dress !" complained Lola.

Lana stopped her course, allowing Charles to disappear in direction of the kitchen. She returned her bickering partner's glare with an uncaring shrug. "What's a little dirt gonna do to ya ? You put some on your face everyday." she retorted.

"It's called rouge, not dirt, you ignorant peasant !" said Lola, beginning to see red at her precious make-up being insulted.

"Our need for appearances is a mere chimera." quipped Lucy, making the duo jump in fright. "We'll eventually all fade into the dark and cold oblivion, our carcasses slowly eaten away, and our futile time here forgotten as we are followed by the ones who loved us. _Sigh_ , I wish we could all be there now."

Rather than being creeped out, Lola simply frowned at her spooky sister, then attacked her with a wave of pink glitter, prompting Lucy to hiss away like a witch's black cat.

But while all of this was going on, **Rita and Lynn Sr.** , matriarch and patriarch of the Loud House, seemed to be busy with the phone. And from what their faces – that we could actually see – expressed, it seemed those were good news. They excitedly put the phone down, and made their way into the living room.

Arriving there, Mr. Loud gave a sharp whistle, successfully catching the attention of his daughters. "Girls, we have some good news for you."

Thus, the theories began to pop up.

"Pop-pop is coming over ?"

"You are buying us more clothes ?"

"We are going to see a match ?"

"You've FINALLY called a repairman ?"

"No, no, no, and why would we ever need a repairman for, when you have this guy to do it for free ?" boasted their father. As if on cue, the curtain pole behind the T.V. fell down, pulling part of the wallpaper with it, as well as the window's handle. All the girls, including the mother, gave him a deadpan look, which he answered with a sheepish smile. "I'll, uh, I'll fix that later."

Rita shook her head, and turned back to her children. "No, it's about your brother. You all remember what he was set to do today ?"

Some looked lost, but Lori nodded. "He went to his little video game championship with Clyde and Ronnie Anne, right ?" resumed the eldest sister.

This struck the gears of Lynn's memory. "Oh yeah, he's been raving about that national tournament all week. Swords and Cyborgs this, Swords and Cyborgs that. He even boasted that his team could make it to the semi-finals. It was pretty cool to see him all riled up like that, even if it was for something as lame as video games."

Mom and Dad's faces gained a knowing grin. "Well, talking of semi-finals..." said Lynn Sr.

"Huh, so he made it that far ? Neat for him." complimented Lana, to which the others nodded.

The adults' grin gained a little more edge. "Not just the semi, honey."

This prompted a little 'Oooh' of praise to rise among the sisters. "Woah, straight to the finals ? Impressive work, bro." grinned Luna.

"I concur in that statement." said Lisa with a nod.

The two parents were positively beaming by now, as the husband chuckled jovially. "Girls, your brother didn't just make it to the finals. He **won** them !"

Cheerful gasps and excited murmurs were now buzzing all over the Loud Sisters. "Alright, Lincoln !" exclaimed Lynn.

"This is so great ! Looks like our bro _screened_ off the whole competition !" cracked Luan. She was not even reprimanded for that pun.

"Well what do you know ? The twerp's finally pulled through." said Lori. She didn't outright show it, but she felt proud for Lincoln. If there was anything the sisters had learned from the Video Contest incident, it's that Lincoln yearned for the recognition his sisters had been obtaining with their special talents.

The only trophy he ever had to show for himself was the one they had created for him, and for some reason, that had seemed to content him. Or so he said.

"Ooh, ooh !" mouthed Leni, bouncing on her seat and rising her hand like a little kid wanting to be picked. Rita chuckled at her ditzy daughter, and pointed her, 'allowing' her to speak. "Well, if Linky won, doesn't he, like, get something ? Like the shiny scarf I got from my last fashion show ?"

Being in a house with two parents, eleven children, and four pets, meant that all had to tighten the belt to go on. As such, the prospect of winnings made a rather unsettling glint appear in the Loud Sisters' eyes. Even Lucy's. I think ?

The gold digger of the family rubbed her hands together. "Why, that is a _very_ good question, Leni." praised Lola with a low chuckle.

"Really ? You too ask yourself why the sky never tries on purple for a change ? Or sea foam green ?" said Leni earnestly. The others slapped their foreheads, they had lost her again.

"So, did he get anything good ?" asked Luna, wanting to get to the point.

"Indeed he did." confirmed her mother, much to the youngsters' delight. "In addition of a brand new video game, and many autographs, your brother has won two prizes that will benefit all of us. The first being 15.000$, that he's accepted to share between all of us."

A roar of joy shook the foundations of the Loud House, as the sisters went onto many happy jigs, some of them even resorting to their dreaded 'Victory dance'. For a good minute, it was a mix of boogying around and predictions for what they'd do with all that sweet cash.

"Finally, I can obtain that Butternut coffin I've been dreaming about. All of the interior adorned with the passionately empty eyes of my sweet Edwin. Perhaps he'll jump out of the picture in the night, and seal my destiny with a long bite in the neck." sighed Lucy, with an unsettling shrudder of bliss.

"Okay, no more vampire novels after 23:00 for you, princess spooks." said Lynn sternly.

" _Sigh..._ "

"The addition of argentum would certainly elevate my work to brand new levels." lisped Lisa as she adjusted her glasses.

"Poo-poo !" chirped Lily, pointing at a huge set of toys in a magazine. So many cubes. So many colours. Infinite possibilities !

"I'm litteraly getting the new Grape smartphone ! It has fifty more emojis, and the cutest sliding effect !" ranted Lori.

"Yeah, mommy's finally gettin' her bleedin' new amps ! Packed with real stadium resonance, baby !" raved Luna, pouring her excitement into wild guitar riffs that would make a certain Rock God with a top hat nod in respect.

"Four words. Princess. Ultra. Deluxe. SET !" squealed Lola in girly excitement.

"Time for the next step. I'm getting an alligator, straight from the Bayou !" fantasized Lana, already imagining herself riding the mighty beast to go to school, and feeding him juicy steaks through the toilet.

"That _bite_ might be more than you can _chew_." reasoned the puntastic Luan. Though all it got her was a whack from Lana's red cap.

"Wow, like, I can't wait to go to the mall, and get that new Louis Pignon purse." dreamed Leni. She gasped. "Maybe I can buy the whole store ! ' **Leni** Pignon', I like that name. It's almost like mine !"

The girls were out of control, howling their future posessions excitedly. For some, it would have looked like the picture of modern madness. For the two Loud parents however, it was a fairly heartwarming sight of their daughters bathing in happiness.

Rita brought the girls back to Earth with a clap of her hands. "Yes, we're all very excited by this."

"You can say that again. Papa's getting some new golf clubs, heh heh !" cheered Lynn Sr. like the kid at heart that he was.

"Of course there'll be a new ring for Mommy as well." chuckle-whispered Rita, before shaking her head back to focus. "And the second thing will make this Summer Break even more exciting. Pack your things and clear your agenda girls, we are going on a trip !"

The ten girls gasped in excitement once again. "Really ?!" they said in unison.

"Really. Your brother gained a two-week trip, all expenses covered, to the destination of his choice, and we are to go in three days."

"Ooh, let's go to Manhattan ! They say everything is big there, so imagine the malls ! Though maybe they sell giant clothes as well. Hmm..."

"No, let's go the Grand Canyon ! The biggest pit of dirt of the entire country. They say that once you roll in it, it never comes off."

"Transylvania. For obvious reasons."

"Chicago ! Gotta see what those Cubs are truly made of !"

"Cleveland, Ohio ! The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is only waiting for one Luna Loud to visit !"

Ideas whized through the room, until they noticed that their parents' smile seemed a little strained. Lori raised a tempting eyebrow, and crossed her arms. "Mom, Dad ? Is there something you two aren't telling us ?"

Lynn Sr. took a breather, and released it in a calm sigh. "There's one little snag. When Lincoln was there, he had to give an immediate answer as to where to go, it had to be _his_ choice. So, he... already chose where we are going."

All the girls let out a collective groan of disappointement. Though Lily immediately contented herself with a foot in her mouth.

Lola then asked the one-million question. "Okay, then where _is_ he taking us ?"

* * *

Coming up Franklin Avenue, was a young lad in very high spirits. A couple of minutes ago, he had parted ways with his best friend, as well as his girlfriend, both of whom he had shared an incredible victory today. The boy was currently whistling a reprise of " _Steamboat Willie_ ".

You know him, you love him, you even shipped him, the one and only **Lincoln Loud**. On the outside, Lincoln was like any other pre-teen of his age, apart from his snow white scalp, which he had inherited from his grandfather. But on the inside, he had experience few could boast about. Being the absolute middle child of a family of eleven came with its strange perks and blunders, especially when you were the only boy amongst ten lively sisters. He even sticked out as the odd one for that sole reason, despite being the most placated one of this _Loud_ family. Still, Lincoln was known to be the 'Man with a Plan' of the Loud House, trying to intervene and resolve his family's conflicts or issues, sometimes out of personnal interest, and other times just out of sheer sibling love. His main non-sister interests were of course video games and reading comics in his undies, something his sisters had learned to put up with. As said before, Lincoln had no particuliar talent, but that didn't mean he couldn't accomplish anything with his own two hands. Poetry with Lucy, comedy routines with Luan, lab assistance to Lisa, and so much more had made Lincoln a very diversified boy when it came to things he could do. Though his everyday life could be resumed as one huge chaotic mess, he learned from it every day, and certainly wouldn't trade it for the world.

Still whistling and with a plaque set under his arm, Lincoln found himself in front of his household. He then noticed that he wasn't alone anymore, as he turned to the camera.

"Hey guys. You'll never guess why today is the greatest day ever !" exclaimed Lincoln. An instant later, his smile fell into confusion. "Wait, you already know ?" The camera nodded. "Oh. Well, less things to explain then. Seriously though, I can't believe we really did it. I finally won something on my very own. What ? No, those aren't tears, it's... liquid pride."

Lincoln immediately chuckled good-naturedly. "Okay, so maybe I'm a little emotive about it. But I'm just so happy ! And best of all, I even got a trip to a place I've been wanting to visit since I saw my first episode of _AARGH!_ , and with my whole family nontheless ! I mean, I don't wanna toot my own horn, but I'm pretty confident when I say my sisters must be pretty happy with me at the moment."

With his chest puffed with pride, Lincoln opened the front door, expecting his sisters cheering and congraluting him with the happy smiles he loved to see on their faces.

And he found them alright. Only none of them were smiling.

They weren't outright glaring at him with venom-filled eyes, but they weren't any joyous either. To be more precise, they all held a look that was close to Lisa's normal neutral one.

Lincoln felt his heart drop for a second. Had he done something wrong ? Lincoln's brain buzzed in effort, trying to find what could be making his sisters frown so. ' _Did I let the toilet seat up ? Was it my turn to dust the fireplace ? *_ Gasp _* Did they finally figure out who used all the hot water last tuesday ?!_ '

Lincoln began to feel sweat trickle at all his worrying questions as the sisters kept staring at him in silence. Unable to contain himself anymore, he decided to break the ice. "Uh, hey guys. Happy to see me ?" he attempted, giving away a tight smile. Seeing them still staring, Lincoln's grin fell into a sigh. "Alright, what did I do wrong this time ?"

The girls' silence was broken as Lori finally spoke, her voice even and calm. "We are going to talk about it. But first, I think I speak for everyone when I say that you can be really proud, little bro." she concluded with a big smile.

The others broke into grins and cheers, and encircled their brother to congratulate him. Lincoln smiled as he was given fist bumps, hugs, and hair ruffles by his many sisters. He could feel his heart flutter at receiving all this praise, which for once didn't result from one of his mistakes.

"Hey Links, where is your trophy ? It can't just be that one tiny plaque, right ?" asked Lana.

Lincoln's face gained a tint of red and a sheepish smile. "Well, the trophy was kinda too big to fit in the case. Therefore... I gave it to Ronnie Anne to keep." Lincoln said, rubbing his right cheek where the faded imprint of a kiss could still be seen.

All the Loud sisters melted and awwed at the cuteness of their brother's action, happy to know that the Ronnincoln ship was still smoothly sailing. This prompted another round of affection displays for the lucky boy.

"Well, you know what you've got to do now." said Lynn with a knowing grin, patting her brother's shoulder.

Lincoln nodded, and went to the Trophy Case. Batting the spider webs in the back of his section, he carefully put his ' _Emperor Archmage-atron 2017_ ' inside, just so his _Most Improved Brother_ trophy wouldn't hide its title without being pushed aside. The white-haired boy smiled at his reflection as he closed the case, and returned to his sisters' side.

"Now, let's talk about that other thing. **The trip**." said Lori, losing her smile as she put her hands on her hips. The others imitated her.

Lincoln was slightly confused. "You guys had other plans, or something ?"

"Well, while I am going to miss out on some very important Bobby time, when we are going is not the issue. **Where** we are going, now that's a problem."

Sour murmurs began to ring out, though none of them felt heated enough to start a fight on the spot. Lincoln shrunk away a little. "W-What's wrong with what I picked ?" he dared to ask.

"Well first off, you didn't even consult us ! You just decided on a whim, not even thinking about what we could say about it !" argued Luan.

"Yeah, not cool Lincoln !" added Lana and Lola in unison.

"I feel betrayed, brother." whispered Lucy in her bro's ear as she put a creeping hand on his shoulder. "I do not take betrayal very well."

Lincoln felt his blood freeze at his little creppy sister's threat. But it warmed up as he remembered something. "Wait a minute, I did try to consult you ! Two hours ago, I tried calling the house to see if you had another preference, because I figured that at least one of you would be there to relay the message, but no one picked up. Where were you all ?"

The sisters tensed and looked at eachother. "Uuuh..."

* * *

 _Lori Loud rubbed her temples at the sight befalling before her. She was trying_ very hard _not to turn her little braniac of a sister into the human replicate of an atom. In fact, Luna being right next to her and soothing her with gentle pats on the back was the only thing keeping her from lashing out._

" _So... run this by me again. You made chocolate chip cookies, and inserted one of your new concoctions inside them. Then you let it on your table, you went downstairs for a 'cylinder of H2O', and when you came back, the cookies were gone."_

" _Most affirmative." affirmed Lisa like nothing was wrong. "I'll admit, I should have taken in the factor of our sisters being insensitive gluttons, and should have closed my wooden protection panel (_ her door _) as to avoid such a conundrum."_

" _Right, right. But tell me, o dear smarty pants, what exactly were you going to do with those **chocolate chip** cookies ?" stressed Lori between her teeth._

 _Lisa was silent for a moment, before shamefully admitting, "Handing them to you and the others to see the thorough effects. Though now I can safely tell that the cloning of our resident feline's DNA and its incorporation by oral injection can have the effects I was looking for. It is a great day for science."_

" _But it might not be a good one for your lifespan." hissed Lori, her rageful pulses mellowing under Luna's gentle shoulder massage. "I know Lincoln once said that we can behave like animals, but this is literally ridiculous."_

 _Luan would have been proud of this pun, but she was far from being into her right mind at the moment. And so were the others._

 _Indeed, the living room had been transformed into a playground for a group of different home cats, their previous identities only being recognizable by their haircuts still residing between their pointy ears. Leni was grooming her long white tail, making sure its utter fluffiness stayed totes adorable. Luan was busy batting her own whoopie cushion, and Lynn was toppling things upside down, left and right, as she relentlessly pursued a flying grain of dust._

 _Lucy rested on the armchair, glancing at the near window, and giving through her bangs a deep, focused, judging, **soul-piercing stare at whomever would pass before her reflecting orbs of supreme contempt**_ **...** _like most cats do, really. Lola and Lana were predictably engaged into a litteral_ catfight _, hissing and clawing at eachother, and little kitty Lily was safely taking a nap on the couch._

 _And then there was Cliff the cat himself, who was moodily packing up his bowls in a suitcase, putting on a fedora, and ready to go by the front door, with Charles, Walt and Geo trying to stop him._

" _Man, am I glad I went down for that pudding cup, or there would be one more Cool Cat to be accounted for." said Luna, as she dodged the zooming form of mini-cheetah Lynn._

 _Lori sighed once more, in pure aggravation this time, and turned to Lisa. "The parents will be back in an hour-and-a-half. You are litteraly going to have to hurry up."_

 _Lisa sorted an abacus, and began to do the math. "Well, accounting the additional notes to make, bathroom breaks and so on, an adequate antidote should be ready in... two hours." nonchalantly deduced Lisa._

 _Luna raised an eyebrow. "Dude, won't that be too late ?"_

" _Affirmative, but what can you do ?" shrugged Lisa, returning to scribble notes on the Loud Cats' attitudes._

 _Lori felt she was about to explode with untamed fury, until her facial expression relaxed into a grin. A calm and very_ unsettling _grin. She kneeled to the ground, gently took Lisa by the shoulders, and adressed her with a sweet and even voice._

" _You know, that was a really good result, very smart and eloquent. In fact, it inspires me the urgent need to go into your room, grab the nearest chemicals, and make you chug them down until the vials are all cleany clean." chuckled Lori good-naturedly. She then reinforced her grip and approached her face close enough for their noses to touch, still grinning. "Do you have an answer for that, genius ?"_

 _Lisa suddenly fet herself very alert. "The remedy should be ready in 2700 seconds." she quickly blurted. She then took off like her life was on the line, which was probably the case._

 _Lori once again rubbed her eyelids, as she planned what to do next. Her furry sisters were all in the living room, so now would be the right time to round them up before they took off to the rest of the house, or worse, outside. "Luna, could you go get-"_

" _Way ahead of you, sis." said Luna, as she presented a large butterfly net to Lori while her other hand stayed clamped on her own one._

 _Lori took her weapon, and steeled her gaze. "We don't tell anyone about this. Not the parents, not Lincoln. Got it ?" said the blonde. Luna nodded. "Then let's do this."_

 _The teen duo let out a battle cry as they charged against the cats, who immediately retaliated. This prompted a fight between humans and animals of anarchic proportions to unfurl. As such, no one took any notice of the house phone going off, nor was it heard the two times after that._

* * *

Lincoln tapped his foot impatiently as he observed his sisters having their little flashback. They then shook their heads awake, indicating it was over. "Well ?" asked the boy.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know." was Lori's answer. And as if on cue, Leni felt herself gagging, and spat a hairball on the floor, much to the disgust of the siblings and the amusement of Lana.

"I'll take your word for it." cringed Lincoln. "So what else is bad ?"

"Simple enough. We don't want to spend two weeks of our vacation on another cruddy camping trip !" howled Lola, followed by a chorus of "Yeah !" from some of his sisters.

Lincoln tilted his head in confusion. "Pink sister say wha ?"

"Oh spare us the act, Lincoln. We know your trip is for us to go on a long hike on what's-its-name. And we are literally not okay with that." grumbled Lori.

"Uh, I don't really care. I love feeling the dirt between my toes when I sleep !" quipped Lana.

"While I do not concur about the filthiness part, I must say that the destination you chose is full of biologic rarities, both faunal and floral. Therefore, I too do not mind your choice." added Lisa, nodding at her brother.

" _Sigh_. Nature do not involve enough obscurity. It constantly bathes in the wretched sunlight." spat Lucy against her idol's natural enemy.

"Yeah, and how am I gonna practice my gigs ? I could try with the marmots, but I don't think they'll really _dig_ my performance. Hahaha, get it ?" said Luan.

"And there'll be yucky bugs everywhere !" shuddered Leni. She felt something brush her leg, and gave out a shriek of fear. "Eeeek, spider !"

"Calm down, dude. It's just Lily demanding some attention." reassured Luna. Leni looked down, and saw Lily patting her leg, then throwing her arms in the air with a coo, asking for a lift. The ditzy blonde complied, giving her baby sister a hug in the process.

"Eh, I'm pretty neutral here." said Lynn with a shrug. "Hiking can be nice for parkour, but there aren't any pitching machines or basketball fields in the woods."

Lincoln remained silent as he heard all of his sisters' complaints... before letting out a laugh that rivaled the ones of Luan's. The girls could only stare in confusion at their guffawing brother. Some scowled, thinking he was mocking them.

"And what, pray tell, is so funny ?" Lori said with a raised eyebrow.

Lincoln wheezed, but managed to get his laughter under control. "Sorry, sorry. It's just, heh, you've got it all wrong !"

"Huh ?" answered the sisters in unison.

"Guys, I know you. You really thought I'd be enough of an airhead to drag you all the way to another long camping trip ?" said Lincoln with a grin. He reached to his pocket, and produced a pamphlet, which he showed his sisters. "The hike will only last two days. **This** is where we're really gonna stay."

The pamphlet unfolded itself into a wide and long list of activities, and showing to the gaping girls the view of a prestigious luxury resort. The girls could pratically see the image radiate with prestance and plain awesomeness. "Holy schemoly..." breathed Lola.

"Ladies and gentlewomen, let me present you the _Golden Flower Resort_." said Lincoln with the suave voice of a T.V. announcer, internally chuckling at his sisters' shiny eyes. "With its royal suites, tip-top roomservice, and all-you can eat buffets for all three meals, this little paradise is included with many activities I'm sure you'll indulge into. Such as its many jacuzzis, spa treatements, and warm mud baths."

Lori and Leni's smiles stretched along their faces, while Lana and Lola were ecstasic over the one activity they could wholefully agree on.

"Add to that four different pools, a basketball field, and a shuttle to the nearest baseball field and running tracks."

Lynn felt her knees tingle with excitement.

"A ducting system long enough to be lost into, trudging aimlessly into the dark with no escape."

Lucy's lips creaked upwards.

"Karaoke and performance stage, opened every night to everyone."

Luna made a victorious fist pump while Luan squished her cheeks in elation, both overjoyed at the prospect of an audience to hear their tunes and jokes.

"A large space of relaxation accompanied of a large and diversified library."

Lisa nodded wisely.

"And of course, a deluxe playground, with all the sand you could wish for, and slides galore."

Lily let an adorable laugh grace her joyful lips.

"So, what do you think ?" asked Lincoln as he rolled the pamphlet back, and assumed a proud position.

The sisters let out an unanimous " _THANK YOU LINCOLN !_ ", before going to lovingly embrace their brother. Inside the tight hug, Lincoln smiled at the camera.

"They're happy."

* * *

In this brand new morning, the Louds were ready to board the infamous Vanzilla to depart for their vacation. While some were loading their luggage in and the parents checking them off ( _Lisa was stopped from bringing her new homemade sulfuric acid, and Lana her collection of lizards_ ), others were giving their good-byes.

On top of the list of course, were **Bobby** and Lori.

"Oh Boo-boo-bear, I know it'll be hard. I can feel my heart bleed just by imagining being away from you. But for the sake of our relationship, we must survive this separation." swayed Lori, keeping the dramatic woe high in her voice.

Bobby held her closer. "Oh babe, I'll wait for you. I'll count every minute, every second being apart from you. Even apart, your beauty will still be the sole thing that illuminate my day just by thinking about it."

"Oh, Bobby !" cried out Lori, as she hugged him close and the two shared a long and wet kiss.

Which promptly grossed out two of the three 11 year-olds present, while the third one looked on with lovey-dovey eyes.

"Clyde, are you reimagining this conversation with you at Bobby's place again ?" dryly asked Lincoln to his best friend, **Clyde McBride.** The boy immediately snapped out of his thoughts.

"Uh, maybe ?" attempted Clyde, averting his eyes from his white-haired friend. "Well, maybe one day she will talk to me like that, once she realizes that the love of her life was right under her nose her whole life."

"Yeah, but I think she is already kissing him." teased Lincoln.

"One day she will be mine !" swore Clyde, shaking his hands to the sky, before coming back to Earth. "Anyway, don't worry about your pets. With the rule of the Three C's and the list Lana gave me, I'll have no problem taking care of them. Besides, animals love me !" To prove his point, one of Lana's snakes slithered out of the house and wrapped the african-american boy into a hug. "See ? You can go find **IT** in all serenity."

"You're a true pal, Clyde." chuckled Lincoln, exchanging a high-five with his bro. He then turned to the other preteen of his age. Tucked into her usual purple hoodie and her raven hair held into a ponytail, **Ronnie-Anne Santiago** looked at her boyfriend with a confident smile. "So, I guess I'll see you in July. I'll miss ya."

"Yeah, don't attract too much ladies on the way, Casanova." chuckled Ronnie-Anne, giving him a light punch in the shoulder. Her face turned serious. "Because you know I'll destroy you before Lori can."

Before, Lincoln would have nervously gulped at the threat. But now, he only smiled and winked at the tan-skinned girl. "I'm pretty sure my sisters will have my head on a platter the moment I give another girl the flirty eye. Plus, I don't think any girl stands a chance against you."

Ronnie-Anne's face lit up in a pink hue, before she chortled and gave Lincoln another punch. "Oh my gosh, you're such a cheesy dork."

" _Gouda_ to know." cracked Lincoln, as the two shared a laugh.

But while the mood felt merry all around, Ronnie Anne couldn't help but end her laugh with a worried expression. She didn't know why, but something told her to be worried. To be afraid for the white-haired boy who brought out the best part of her.

Lincoln, no longer hearing his girlfriend laugh, looked at her, and immediately felt something was wrong. "Ronnie-Anne ? Is something bothering you ?"

Ronnie-Anne mulled over what she could said. What was wrong with her right now ? What could be worrying her so much ? Why...

Why did she feel like she wasn't just saying good-bye ?

Realizing she was starting to shake, she calmed herself with a breath, and looked at Lincoln square in the eye. "Lincoln, I want you to make me a promise." she sternly said.

Lincoln felt surprised at Ronnie-Anne's sudden serious tone. He gave a glance at Clyde, who shrugged back, before turning back to her. "Uh, sure. Name it."

"Promise me..." started Ronnie-Anne, pausing to find the right words. With a voice both strong and wavering, she shot away. _"Promise me you'll come back..._ "

Lincoln blinked at Ronnie-Anne's demand. Why would she ask such a thing ? Why wouldn't he come back ? The boy was rather baffled, it wasn't like Ronnie-Anne to be such a worrywart. Then again, five months ago, he thought she was a smelly troll only lived to laugh at the suffering she caused him. And today, she was the girl who shared the title of ' _Lincoln's favourite girl_ ' with his sisters.

As such, he immediately felt the need to reassure her. "Hey, don't worry about it. Of course I'll come back. I'd never leave you hanging." soothed Lincoln, caressing her hand.

Ronnie-Anne gave his own hand a squeeze. "You swear ?" whispered the latino girl.

"I promise on my entire coin collection and every _Ace Savvy_ comic I have. I'll be back." warmly reassured the boy. This seemed enough for Ronnie-Anne, as the two shared their own tender kiss.

After what felt an eternity, the two parted lips, and gave their final good-byes. Lincoln added a fist bump combo with Clyde, and entered the family car right down the middle of the car's third row. Once he was installed however, he remarked the cheeky grins given by his already installed sisters.

All he could managed was a scarlet blush as Lynn gave him a thumbs up from the seat in front of him. "You nailed it, Romeo." teased the snickering jock.

"Oh shush you guys." grumbled the boy, still smiling at the couple of hair ruffles he got from the others.

He counted the members of his family. Lily was already secured in her baby seat over the Sweet Spot – the smart thing to do after last time's debacle – his parents were organizing the last preps, and Lori was still busy going over the many mushy ways she could say " _I love you forever and even after that_ ". Lola and Lana already arguing in the back, Lynn, Lucy, and Lisa seated behind their parents, and the main row consisting of him, Leni, Luna, and... "Hey, where is Luan ?"

"I'm here, I'm here !" called Luan as she embarked the Loud vehicle. "Were you guys going to leave without me ? How _car_ less, hahaha !"

Lincoln gave a look at his jokester of a sister. "You weren't preparing any pranks for Clyde, were you ?"

"Oh no, I was giving a special good-bye to my friend **Maggie**." sighed Luan, briefly losing her smile as she looked through the window. "She just can be so sensitive."

Lincoln followed her sight, and saw the angsty emo teen herself standing a few feet away, her permanent look of disinterest set on her face as usual. "Uh, are you sure ? Because this looks more like a "This world is empty, and so am I" kind of look." he honestly replied.

"Hear hear." acknowledged Lucy, keeping her nose in her book.

"But can't you see the wavering despair on her face ? I know she'll stay strong, but still, it always gets me when she gives me that look." said Luan, gnawing on her fist not to crack herself.

Lincoln gave Maggie another look. And he admitted that after squinting **really** hard, he could indeed see a slight ripple of sadness in her irises, and her lower lip was a few milimeters drawn out enough for her mouth to ultimately be considered a 'sad pout'. And remembering his spooky little sis, he knew that it was enough to matter.

"Y'know, I didn't expect you and Maggie to develop such a strong frienship." said Lincoln, giving Luan a pat on the back.

Luan's eyes shifted around the car. "Uh, yeah... we are real good friends. You could say it happened like _maggic_ , and stuff, heh heh..." nervously laughed Luan, keeping her face pressed on the window so no one would see the faint blush spreading across her face. When the others looked away, she sent a timid wave to her pal, who replied likewise.

Finally, after managing to secure Lori in the back so she wouldn't jump out the window for one last hug, the Loud Family departed down the road, leaving four pets, a waving Clyde, a weeping Bobby, and Ronnie-Anne to confort him.

"Eight... nine... ten..." counted Bobby between hiccups.

"Ah, jeez." huffed Ronnie Anne, not looking forward for two weeks of supporting her brother's extra long rants about Lori.

She watched the blue moving vehicle one last time. She shook her head as she felt the creepling worry beginning to take her over again. They would be okay. Lincoln would be okay.

…

At least she hoped so.

* * *

Lincoln felt hopeful. The trip was going way better than last times, and that was all thanks to positive thinking. The mere thought of their destination was enough for Lincoln to look past his sister's road trip antics.

As such, after giving a pillow for queasy Leni to relax on, actually allowing himself a chuckle at Luan's truck pun, and deflecting Lana's peashooter array right back at her, Lincoln simply allowed himself to contently dream. Dream about his destination, his ultimate goal.

Taking out the pamphlet, he looked at its cover once again, and felt the ecstasy going right through his body once again.

' _Mount Ebott, here I come !_ '

* * *

 **Author's note : And thus ends the first part of the prologue. And gosh, was it hard to get it written down. And we're not at the good part yet !**

 **Anyway, if you've appreciated this chapter, leave a fave or a review. If you didn't like it, leave a review anyway, so the rest of the story can get better.**

 **This is Superdimentio77, wishing you a good time wherever you are.**


	2. Prologue Part 2

**Prologue part 2 : What Louds up, must Loud down**

 **Hi guys. The prologue sails still, but not for long. Have a little more exposition and Loud House antics, before we get into the real good stuff.**

 **Loud House and Undertale still aren't mine, no matter how much I keep wishing they would...**

* * *

Samuel J. Mota was a proud man. He had a proud team, proud goals, and a proud health. But the jewel of his pride was without doubt his hotel.

The _Golden Flower Resort_ was one of the most visited and adored hotels of the entire country. The rumours going on about the mountain just beside it didn't hurt its reputation one bit, quite the contrary. The floors were clean, the service was on par, and most of all, they were always prepared.

But should have known this was not set to last.

He had heard stories, word of mouth tales between managers of different institutions about a cursed growing family, somewhere lost in Michigan. The **Loud Family**.

He always had thought those stories were exagerations, blurred images of these people's worst client experiences squished into one big imaginary family. But when he received the name of the winner of the Swords and Cyborgs National Tournament who had chosen his establishement to relax in, reality slapped him in his perfectly shaved face.

 _They existed._

But the man did not immediately resort to panic (* _Rimshot*_ ). He had even snorted in amusement that day. So what if they were real ? He had handled bigger parties than thirteen. Why, his hotel had known a 70-guest wedding, and lived it without a hair out of place. Whatever these 'Louds' were capable of, he waited for them. Because as always, he would be **prepared**.

…

He was not prepared.

Three days. Three days they had checked in, and the hotel had known more catastrophes than in the last two years.

Broken basketball hoops, fried stereo amps, water buckets randomly dropping on people (sometimes _outside_ ), sights of a lone girl appearing and disappearing in random corridors, scribbles and footnotes added to some of their volumes, mud bath battles, booked Spa's, foul odours...

And you shouldn't even get him started on the all-you-can-eat buffets. For the first time in forever, they actually had managed to run short on food. Ten chefs, and they had run **short**.

It was a nightmare, and one that he couldn't wake up from, even if he tried. His hotel was known to handle all sorts of calamities with expertise, and the motto ' _The Client is always right_ ' was pratically imprinted in the staff's veins. As such, refusing them the access would be the one ugly scar on a 15 year-long record ! Plus, they technically hadn't seriously harm anyone. Yet.

Well, maybe his own back with the slouch of despair he had been doing since two days ago. But that barely counted.

But a thought then struck the ill-hearted man. What if this was a new challenge life was throwin him ? To take actions unkown by him before ? Samuel stood upright, finally lifting his head from the puddle of tears on his desk. Weeping time was over ! He would not be frightened away by one rowdy family, he would conquer it just like he had conquered the hearts of thousands with his resort's values and service ! BECAUSE HE WAS-

"Um, sir ?" said a receptionist as she entered the Manager's office. "New issues have arisen. The third floor has been waxed to dangerous slippery levels, two waiters have been litteraly blasted away by tonight's performance, and Chef Louis has locked himself in the janitor closet, and refuses to come out. He's been in there crying since the moment someone told him how many days the Loud family have left in this hotel."

The desk's wooden surface wouldn't have to feel alone much longer, as crashed his face right on the exact same spot, resuming his weeping. He too remembered that they would be staying for _eleven_ more days. His misery trail had only just begun.

One thing that he at least could be looking forward to was the hike the Louds would be taking up the mountain tomorrow. They would spend one night up there, far from him and his precious hotel. They'd come back, but he would at least sleep peacefully for one night, not feeling obliged to think of this cursed family.

Samuel mulled that one word over. _Cursed_. He was no superstitious man, and he thought that maybe this wishful thinking was a tad cruel to think about.

Yet, part of his mind still prayed for it. _Prayed that the legend of Mount Ebott could come true..._

* * *

The moon was high in the sky, and at the Royal Suite floor, the party was in full swing for the Loud children, who were all dressed in their PJ's. As their parents had gone downstairs to catch a glass of fine wine or two, the children were left inside the huge bedroom, which was big enough to gather them together in one room, while the parents occupied a separate room. Some had whined to get a private room too, but they complied soon enough, without exempting some fighting of course.

Lori was wrapping up her hour-long conversation with Bobby, mirthfully giggling at the boy's poem about her beauty.

Leni was fiddling with straps dangling from her bathrobe, determined to pierce the secrets of the conception of the mystical 'knot'.

Luna entertained Lily, dropping the beat as she gave her all in a rock version of Three Little Kittens, greatly pleasing the toddler.

Luan was contently reading a book titled ' _How to make Halloween into Hallaughween in 28 gut-bursting steps_ ', her groucho reading glasses on her face.

Lola was busy munching on some homemade chocolate fudge, not caring for the mess she was making on herself. Screw manners, she had chocolate !

Lisa and Lucy were partaking a game of chess. The young genius needed to perfect her strategies, and Lucy didn't peep one word as she kept losing her black pieces, game after game.

"You know, I reckon that you are a tad above average intelligence for your age group, and I've seen you play this game before. So why aren't you trying to defend yourself against my assaults ?" asked Lisa, already on the path of ther 14th victory in a row.

"I just like to see my pieces being taken away." admitted Lucy in her monotone voice. "We are all pawns in the unforgiving game that is life. And we'll **all** be taken away someday."

Lisa simply stared at her sister, returning her stoic look. She then turned to the camera. "And people call me the blunt one."

Finally, Lynn, Lana, and Lincoln were all engaged into a pillow fight, bouncing on the triplet-sized bed as feathers exploded everywhere. Lynn was a fierce master of the pillow throw, but Lincoln knew how to put a good fight, and Lana had a few aces up her pajama sleeves.

Dodging another pillow, Lincoln turned to the camera. "Well, I'd say so far everyone is enjoying this trip. Well, maybe not the staff. And the other clients. Hey, I can't help if I love slipping on waxed floor so much !" He spun on himself, and gave a pouncing Lana a back-pillowed whack, making her bowl Lynn over, and knocking the athlete's socks in the process. "Anyway, our stay has been great. But tomorrow, it's gonna get even better. Because tomorrow, I finally might see-"

 _POMF !_

Lincoln's rant was cut short as a double salvo of puffed fabric crashed against his face, knocking him off the bed. "Hey big bro ! Less naggin', more cotton !" called Lana, as she laughed along with Lynn.

"Great shot girls. And sorry, I was just thinking about tomorrow, that's all." apologized the brother.

"You mean that camping trip up the mountain you've been itching to go all week ?" said Lynn with a raised eyebrow. "What's the deal with that anyway ?"

"I was wondering the same thing." quipped Lucy, making Lincoln jump in fright.

"Yeah, me too. I mean, you make such a _mountain_ about it. Hahaha, get it ?" laughed Luan.

"Actually, there is a better question to be asked." intervened Lori, finally done with her kissy-kissy conversation. "Why did you even want to come here ? You could have chosen to go to Dairy World in Virginia, or to San Diego where that huge _Ace Savvy_ convention is taking place right now, yet you chose to come here. Why is that ?" asked the blonde with genuine curiosity.

All the sisters were now rounding Lincoln, all wondering that same question. The boy was quick to pacify the crowd. "Well, it's kind of a long story. Let's get comfy first."

Before long, all the girls were sitting on the large bed in a circle, all seemingly curious about their brother's tale. The room lights were dimmed, to build an atmosphere if Lincoln's words were to be believed.

"Perfect." he praised. "All that's missing is a campfire, but I don't think that's gonna be possible."

"Like, why not ?" innocently asked Leni.

"Because, Leni, our list of infamous actions against this establishement doesn't need 'Pyromania to be added on it." explained Lisa.

"Pie-Romany ? But I thought we were in Louisianna." said the light blonde girl in confusion. Lisa simply sighed. Sad to say that she was used to it by now.

"Don't worry, I've got this." chilled Luna, sorting her phone and selecting a special app. There, she flipped through a lighter, a match, a flamethrower, a Flame Princess, and finally settled for an image of a campfire, with wood crisping sound effects.

Lincoln smiled in awe. "Impressive..."

"You know it bro." said Luna, exchanging a fist bump with the orange-clad boy, and putting her phone in the middle of the human circle, the dim amber light of the fire reflecting upon all the siblings' faces.

Now sure that all was in place, Lincoln cleared his throat to direct the focus on him.

" _This tale begins in immemorial times._ " began Lincoln in a very narrator-like voice. " _It is said that long ago, two races ruled over the Earth : Humans and Monsters. Both races coexisted in peace and harmony. The humans provided strength and will, while the monsters brought cohesion and magic. An age of prosperity reigned upon the two races, and all wished it would last forever. But this, sadly, was not to be._ " He gave a little pause for dramatic effect.

" _One day, a war erupted between the two races, the reason for this fight lost to the hands of time. What is known is that after a long and tedious battle, the humans were victorious. But instead of finishing off the remaining monsters, pity was elected upon them. As such, the monsters were forced inside and under a mountain, their new home and prison. And to ensure that no monster could escape, seven of the humans' greatest magicians erected a magic barrier to seal the monsters from the surface. Humans were asked to keep away from the mountain, but as the monsters had vanished, so did magic soon enough. The true reason was progressively forgotten, and the warning became a legend, as they say that whoever goes up **Mt. Ebott** never returns._ "

At this point, most sisters could only playfully or tiredly roll their eyes. Their brother was once again trapped inside his own little fantasies and legends, such as the 'real reason' why left socks kept disappearing. The only ones not doing so were Lily, who kept smiling absentmindedly, and Lucy, who found herself interested in the legend's subject.

"So that's why you wanted to come here ? For some stupid vague fairy tale ?" bluntly asked Lori.

But Lincoln wasn't deterred at all. "Ah~, but that's where you're wrong, dear sister. Not only is this tale not stupid – I mean, rude much ? – but it also does not end here. This was merely to set the stage for the interesting part." mysteriously said the brother, rubbing his hands as he saw his sisters' eyes widening, indicating that he had their attention again. Thus, the naration was pursued.

" _Not too long ago, but enough for this tale to be partly forgotten, was a little village. Mystery surrounded this place, as the inhabitants mostly kept for themselves, kinda like the Amish, only less nice. Now while there was nothing special to say about this village, there was this one child who one day decided to climb the infamous Mount Ebott. 'Why ?' is everyone's guess, but one thing to be sure is that the young child didn't come back. Days passed, then weeks, then months, but the child simply didn't reappear._ " Lincoln's face gained a devious smirk. " _That is until one fateful day._ "

An aura of malevolance began to make itself known inside the room. The girls began to fidget on their seats, some taking apprehensive gulps, and others sensing a lone trickle of sweat descending down their necks. Leni held on her big sister for safety, not at all liking where this was going.

" _That day was like any other sunny one for the little village. But suddenly, frightened screams resonated amongst the villagers, as they witnessed a truly horrifying sight. Many months after they disappeared, the missing child had returned to the village, but not in their entirety. Lying on a bed of golden flowers, pride of the village, was the child's **lifeless body**._ " Teeth began to chatter, and more reassuring contact was made between the girls. Lincoln continued nontheless. " _Oh, but it doesn't stop there, as you see, the body wasn't alone on the scene. No, something, dare I say **someone** , brought it back. But why didn't the villagers ask that person any question ?_" Lincoln made another pause, and slowly reached for something behind his back. " _Because **THIS** IS WAS WHAT THEY SAW !_"

Lincoln sorted the piece of paper behind his back, revealing it to be a drawing, and the girls all gasped in fearful shock when they saw it in the light of the digital campfire.

It looked like an antropomorphic goat with white wild fur, long ears, strange clothing, and long horns shaped like a demon's. Its eyes were pitch-black, save for two blood red irises burning like the flames of Hell itself, with ebony lines descening his snout. His mouth was frozen into an open snarl, revealing a drooling tongue and a set of very sharp razor teeth. His long claws looked like they were ready to tear someone into bloody pieces.

All in all, this drawing was the stuff of nightmares, and so thought the trembling Loud sisters, as they could already see the goat abomination chasing them down tonight in their dreams. They flinched each time the drawing was turned into their general direction, feeling its stare piercing through their very souls.

" _Yes, frightening isn't it ?_ " said Lincoln with narrowed eyes." _But the villagers, horror-stricken still, decided to gather their courage instead, and attacked the beast. Arrows and spears were thrown, pitchforks and swords struck the monster relentlessly. The monster snarled and pested, but it didn't get any chance to attack. After giving their whole, the villagers stepped back. The monster was wounded, but it certainly wasn't dead. The weirdest part of all ? It_ smiled _at them. Omniously, like it knew something they didn't. And without a word, the monster took the child's body in his arms, turned around, and walked right back the mountain, still cryptically smiling as he walked into the distance._ "

Lincoln put the drawing down, and looking at his downright terrified sisters, decided it was time to wrap up this little story. " _This happened many years ago. But still, the tale is not yet done. The warning had resurfaced from this event, but that did not stop certain persons to try and go visit the mountain. And while many came back, some children did not, **six of them** to be precise. Not a single trace was found of those disappearances, they simply vanished. _

" _It is said that they found a peculiar cave, carved into the mountain, and that if you listen closely, you can still hear the children's cries for help echoing inside the cave... and the scratching of the monstruous goat still inhabiting it..._ "

"MEEEEEEEH !" suddenly bleated Lynn, making the others loudly shriek in absolute terror. Once they had calmed down, they all glared at the jock, who was rolling in laughter on the matress. "HAHAHAHA ! Oh my gosh, you all should have seen your face ! I even saw your eyes, Luce !" She was then promptly silenced by an avalanche of pillows and cushions, burying her alive. "You guys have no sense of humour." rang her muffled voice.

Lori waited for her heart to stop hammering like Luna during her battery solos, before trying to pry the horror-stricken Leni from constricting her body. She finally managed, with the collective soothing help of Luan and Luna, and turned to her brother.

"I've gotta admit Lincoln, that was a pretty good story. It _almost_ scared me." said the elder sister with hardheaded pride. Her façade was momentarily shattered when the twins let a collective bleat, which made Lori release a short high-pitched yelp, before angrily pushing the snickering duo off the bed. She instantly regained her calm. "But come on, do you really believe in all this nonsense ? It's clearly a story made by people around here to attract naïve tourists so they can sell them their junk."

"Actually, our brother isn't completely wrong." Lisa barged in. Everyone looked at the little genius like she had grown a second head. "What is with all the sudden eye contact ?"

" _You_ believe him ? You, the girl who shot down the Tooth Fairy tale at 2 years of her life ?" asked Lori in bewilderement.

"Now hold on, those were not my words." replied Lisa in a 'tsk tsk' manner. "I said that he wasn't _completely_ wrong. I certainly do not say that I believe in any of those eccentric stories about monsters and magic. As you said, those are simply children hogwash, simply too ridiculous for the scientific woman that I am." She proudly readjusted her glasses. "But there is one point that is true in his story."

"Which one ?" asked Lynn, woozily recovering from the pillow-mageddon she just received.

"The one about the missing youth." This elected gasps from the audience. "In the course of the last century, six children have indeed disappeared without leaving any remnant of their passage, and all were reported to have indeed mentionned something about a certain cave carved into the modest peak before their disappearing act. To quote our only male sibling, they climbed Mt. Ebott, and never came back."

"See ? Told ya." gloated Lincoln to Lori, who simply rolled her eyes.

"Oh puh-lease. This is all just a silly coincidence blown out of proportion."

"I don't know Lori. You should be careful, that kind of thinking could come back to pinch you in the _Ebott_ , hahaha !" cracked Luan, making all the others groan.

"I personally liked the part about the goat monster. The fire in his eyes is comparable to the coldness of my sweet Edwin's." mumbled Lucy, looking at the drawing.

"Well that's good and all, but what do you wanna accomplish with all that info ?" asked Lola, hands on her hips.

"I'm glad you ask !" chirped Lincoln, showing his sisters a map. "You see, the camping grounds on the mountain suggested by the hotel happen to be right next to where the famous cave is supposed to be. And I, Lincoln Loud, paranormal enthusiast, am going to snatch a picture of it !" His excited expression then turned sheepish. "Also, I wanted to ask you guys if you wanted to join me for the picture ?"

Lola huffed. "Yeah, that's not happening. Cursed or not, there is no way I'm putting one perfectly pedicured toe inside some filthy cave."

Lincoln arched an eyebrow. "Inside ? I'm not going inside, I want to take a picture of the cave's entrance. I may be brave and enthusiastic, but I'm not mad."

"But why do you even need us, bro ?" asked Luna.

"Well... I just thought this picture would be better if you were all in it." admitted Lincoln with a blush, aware of how cheesy that must have sounded.

The girls stiffened, but felt their hearts warm up. He may not have known it, but Lincoln knew how to hit them in the feels. Plus, they felt like this could be a good way to pay his kindness back. They never would have come to this sumptuous resort if he hadn't chosen to share his victory with them.

Lori sighed, yet smiled at the same time. "Oh alright, we'll take that picture with you. It's the least we can do." she said, to which the others nodded.

Lincoln gasped in joy, and glomped his sisters, who returned the hug. Just a little moment of tenderness between the Loud siblings.

It was only broken by all of them yawning in perfect unison, which made them chuckle a little. "Welp, I'm beat. Better hit the hay before we hit the road tomorrow morning." said Lana, feeling the tiredness creeping on her small form.

"Yeah, I'll have, like, three showers to take before we go !" said Leni, lifting a number of fingers to prove it. Luna wisely lowered one to make the exact number, leaving the blonde to grin innocently.

And thus, after some tooth brushing, flossing, face rinsing, forcing Lana to do all of the above, kissing their returned parents good-night, the Loud children tucked themselves to bed, and fell into slumber. Through the night, their dreams all seemed to turn to fantasy, trying to escape the scary goat-man, and imagining what all these fabled monsters could look like.

 _Though soon, those creatures would be fables no longer..._

* * *

Things moved pretty quickly from there. The family was quick to wolf down their breakfast, certainly not going easy on the chocolate sauce. They then freshened up, and organized their stuff for the small trip.

After that, the Loud parents gathered the map, and went for some equipement location. This part could have dragged on, if not for the _very_ peppy resort staff who were _kind enough_ to give some very good price cuts, greatly _shortening_ their additional stay in the hotel. Rita and Lynn Sr. felt slightly weirded out, but who were they to refuse some money savings ?

Though the family could have sworn Rumba music had begun emanating from the hotel as soon as they were outside.

The trail up the mountain was rather pleasant. Although a few close calls were made, like Lana almost munching on some wild berries, which Lisa analyzed as capable of such diarrheic propreties, its eater would not be capable of sitting down for the next two weeks. Lana liked to sit, so she wisely gave the berry a hard pass.

Luan encountered a slight conundrum with some raccoons, after making a very bad joke about their stripes. Raccoons apparently liked their stripes very much, if the way they had lashed out at her was anything to go by.

Lynn also learned that Mt. Ebott's mineral constitution was way harder than the other ones, after she had made a bet that she could crack a rock with one swift kick. Lynn had gained wisdom and a sore foot, while Lola had gained five bucks.

But there were a few good surprises as well, like the fact that reception was perfect on Mt. Ebott, allowing Lori to text Bobby at any time without interruption. This put the oldest sister in a very good mood.

Lisa had been having a field day too, excitedly pouring all her findings about Ebott's fauna and flora in her notebook, which had quickly became black with ink. Red dandelions ? Two foot-tall groundhogs ? Glow-in-the-dark mocking birds ?! The little genius surprised even herself with the childlike giggle she found herself randomly giving.

Any patch of grass seemed to content Lily, who would roll in it, colouring her diapers and herself into a light shade of green. Lucy also used nature at her advantage, actually finding plenty of shady places to walk through, avoiding the sun's constant harrassement.

Through their journey the wandering family even found a lake to rest by. The children couldn't resist a little dip, and all adorned the swimsuits and swimming trunks Lola had taken for everyone ("Who's overpacking now, huh ?!"). Inside the water, Leni assumed what she had accepted as her double identity. There was no Leni at that moment, only the mysterious and totes stunning _Polo_.

Once night came, the family stopped at the prefixed camping grounds, heating some burgers on the rented mini-grill, and traditionally caramelizing marshmallows by the campfire. A real one this time ! Luna was happy to take requests, rocking that acoustic guitar like it was a true Stratocaster. Who knew you could make a passionate and electric version of Coming 'Round the Mountain ?

After all this excitement, the Louds called it a night, each pair of usual roommates going under double tents, and Lincoln inside a simple tight one. He chose this one as it reminded him of his closet-turned-bedroom. But though he felt pretty comfy, the buck-toothed boy had a hard time falling asleep, excitedly thinking about the next day, but managed after figuring that he would have to stay awake tomorrow if he wanted to find that cave entrance.

 _But much more they would all find this next day..._

* * *

Dawn creeped its way through the night sky, as the sun's first rays went to tickle the proud and mysterious mountain. The rays also managed to be Lincoln's immediate alarm clock, as his eyes flew open, excitement bubbling through his blood stream. ' _It's today, it's today, IT'S TODAY !_ ' thought the boy. He immediately grabbed on his clothes, his camera equipement, and was ready to go.

Well, _he_ was anyway. But nothing he hadn't foreseen.

His most logical first stop was Lori's tent. Only she could help him get the rest of the sisters up and running without awakening their parents. He just had to awake her first.

Lincoln peeked his head through the entry of the tent. Leni was confortably tucked inside her frilly self-made sleeping bag, her sleeping mask placed over her doozing face. As for Lori, she was sleeping in a more plain, but nontheless comfy sleeping bag, but she seemed very... busy at the instant.

"Zzz... yes Bobby, I will eat your chocolate abs... So hunkily delicious..." drooled Lori, then getting a mouthful of her pillow. To say this was akward to watch would be true to say for Lincoln, but he had seen them kiss for real so many times, it just midly irked him at this point.

"I don't have time for this. Sorry Lori, but snack time's over." mumbled Lincoln. With a stick, he began to poke Lori's foot. "Psst, Lori." The girl grumbled incoherently for an instant, then went back to gnawing her pillow. "Lori. Wake up, we need to go."

"Mmgh... wha ?" said Lori woozily. It took her a little while to notice what she was doing, and finally spat the soft white rectangle who was not chocolate. She looked outside, and frowned as she saw the reddish sky. "Urgh, have you any idea what time it is right now ?"

"Half-past six. The time we've agreed on to all go search for the cave before Mom and Dad come by, seeing as it's kind of not recommended to approach it." said Lincoln with a toothy smile.

"I litteraly never agreed to such a thing." replied Lori.

Lincoln's face went flat. "Uh, yes you did. You all did, I recorded you for further proof. You even noted it on your phone."

Lori grabbed her precious communicating device, and looked up her notebook app. To her frustration, it was indeed there. But the eldest Loud child wasn't out of ideas yet, and decided to throw in one last attempt, her last ace up her sleeve.

"But do we gotta ?" Lori whined, not unlike her pink-obsessed sister. She even gave in the trembling lower lip with the wavery puppy eyes of ultimate cuteness !

But sadly, it held no effect on Lincoln, who simply frowned at her.

Lori slumped in defeat and rubbed her temples. "Why do I keep making promises ?" mumbled Lori to herself, before turning to her brother. "Fine, let's go take that dumb picture of yours, so I can litteraly catch some Z's afterwards."

Lincoln's face immediately brightened up, and gave his big sister a hug. "Yes ! Thanks Lori, you're the best !" exclaimed the boy, before zooming off to go fetch some of his other easily-awakenable sisters.

Lori blinked at what had just happened, before breaking into a tiny smile. "Maybe that's why I keep making them..." She shook her head, and went to wake up Leni.

* * *

Soon enough, the whole party was up. Well, up from their beds, really. The youngest ones were allowed a few more minutes of peaceful slumber, even Lisa. "Zzz.. why yes Mr. Freud, I will take another cylindric container of hot cocoa while we discuss your theory of the mind..." rambled the small genius, nestling herself a little deeper in Luna's arms.

As for the rest, Lincoln was of course up and ready. Lucy, being the nocturnal person that she was, took the awakening pretty good. Lucy-good anyway. Luna and Luan were kinda easy too, but still had sleepy eyes. Leni was still half-asleep, making Lori her human cane so she wouldn't crash on the ground. The eldest blonde was thus stuck with both Leni hanging on her shoulder, and Lana snoring in her arms.

Lynn was the sourest to wake up, grumbling some nasty things she only heard amongst hockey players, but quiet enough so nobody would pick them up. The last thing she needed was for Lily in her arms to hear those words in her sleep, and let them be her new words. "And you're sure it's not that far ?" grumbled the athlete to her little bro.

"Yep ! All we've gotta do is follow that map, and we should be there in no time !" promised Lincoln, holding on said map. He led the way through a random dirt path, and the others followed.

"Welp, you can say we are _following_ him." said Luan in a monotone voice, holding tight on Lola.

Luna raised an eyebrow at her comedic roommate. "Uh, I'm kinda not getting that one." said the purple-clad girl in confusion.

"It's too early for puns, that's what's to get." was her blunt and tired retort.

The trek that followed was mostly silent. One by one, the youngest siblings (and Leni) were awoken, relieving the oldest ones from some extra weight. Nothing was to be upset about though, as the air felt crisp and fresh, and the path was devoid of going through thorny bushes, wooden bridges, or other stereotypical treasure-hunting obstacles.

After ten minutes of walking however, complaints began to rise. "Are we there yet ? I wanna go back to sleep." moaned Lola. "I was being saved from an ugly ogre by the Prince of my dreams."

"Yeah, and I was helping an ogre lay down the pain on some snobbish prince. Sucker never saw me coming from that bush." chuckled Lana with a hint of mischief.

"If we aren't there in five minutes, I'm turning back." said Lori, feeling herself fed up too.

"Aww, but Linky looks so happy right now. Look at him." pointed Leni to their brother.

Lincoln's face indeed looked like the epitome of joy, his glimmering irises blackening the blank of his eyes, and his mouth set into the biggest toothy grin they had seen him wear since he had found an _Ace Savvy #24_ in perfect condition, seven months ago.

In fact, one other thing they quickly noticed was that he had stopped just after passing one burly bush. "Uh, Lincoln ? Why are you litteraly stopping now ?" asked Lori.

"We're here." whispered Lincoln, quiet excitement very perceptible in his voice and through his body's light quakening.

The sisters looked at eachother for an instant, then looked ahead. Their eyes collectively widened at the sight before them.

"Whoa..." they all breathed.

'Whoa' was indeed the right word. The cave entrance was huge, easily twelve feet high and fifteen large. The inside was mostly blocked by wooden boards that had been added quite some time ago, with some still clear 'KEEP OUT' signs. The planks however looked like they were losing their battle against time, with one or two rotten ones having already fallen down. This created a small hole to get a clear view of the inside. Well, a clear view of pitch black darkness, that is.

The entrance's most impressive feature however had to be what nature had sculpted above it. Two big round empty holes and a row of stalactites on the upper half, that gave the cave the appearance of a monster's maw, ready to gobble up all that go inside.

"It's even cooler than I imagined it to be." said Lincoln, shedding a tear. "Don't you think so, guys ?"

The sisters kept staring for a moment, but brought themselves back to reality. "It's... impressive to say the least." admitted Lori.

"I must say, nature's geologic performances can be quite astounding, even to a smaller scale." quipped Lisa.

"Okay, I gotta admit, this is actually pretty cool." said Lynn, really not expecting something of this caliber.

"I know right ? Look at all those pointy teeth, ready to plunge on their next piece of grub." gushed the red-capped tomboy.

"The wooden boards are a nice touch too. Really add to that creepy and supernatural vibe." said Lucy with the ghost of a smile.

"Welp, I know what my next album cover is gonna look like." grinned Luna.

"Alright, but are we gonna take that picture or what ?" uttered Lola who, though equally impressed, wanted things to move along so she could be allowed to rest again.

Lincoln, who had been lost in his inner fanboying, was brought back to reality by the mention of his ultimate goal. "Oh right, thanks Lola. Alright, everyone in front of the cave. Just smile like we did for Mom and Dad's last anniversary gift."

"Which smile ? The one we got bored from, or the one with those yucky christmas sweaters ?" asked Luan, reminiscing the latter one with a frown. To think she almost lost her glasses that day, something she clearly didn't see coming. (* _Rimshot_ *)

"Uh, the first one. And don't worry, I'm setting the timer right this time." assured Lincoln, not wanting a repeat of this incident. He still loved that chaotic family picture he took, but he was wishing for a natural clean one this time. "Okay, gotta adjust the angle a little to the right, and... there !"

He rushed to his sisters, and stood in the middle of the group, just like last time. "Okay everyone, say cheese."

"CHEESE !" said the siblings in unison, stopping only when the click and flash went off. The sisters began to chatter amongst themselves about the picture, while Lincoln went to retrive it from his camera on tripod. Five seconds later, the ink black left place to the image itself.

Lincoln smiled at the picture. There he was, between all of his sisters, with the cave as a perfect background. Every inch of the rocky face was precisely centred inside the picture frame, and the dim sunlight reflected upon the humans' figures perfectly.

"It's a good one !" announced Lincoln. Cheers rose, mostly in happiness of being able to go back to bed. But as all seemed well and wrapped up, a detail came to the attentive snow-haired boy's eye. Or rather, the _lack_ of a detail. "Wait no, there is a problem guys. Lily's not in the picture."

The girls awwed in disappointement, and a few stones were kicked at the prospect of having to do the picture all over again, just because Lily wasn't in it.

But this actually set one thought to slowly set in all the youngsters' minds. Lincoln suddenly voiced it, fear slowly creeping its way into his voice. "Guys... where _is_ Lily ?"

"Lynn, weren't you supposed to hold her ?" accused Lola, although just as fretful as the rest.

"But I passed her to Luan when it was time to take the photo !" answered Lynn in panic.

"I certainly did not pass that motion. Hehe, get it ?" joked Luan, though she immediately shrunk under the glares thrown by the others. "I pun when I panic. I'm _punicking_ , you guys !"

"Lily ! Lily, where are you ?!" called out Lana. The others followed suite, and began to call for their baby sister. They started to uncover bushes, and push rocks out of the way. Lisa herself didn't show it, but she was the most afraid, as by sharing her space with Lily, she knew for certain that the youthful bundle of joy could be quite quick on her little legs when unsupervised.

And as the panic began to seriously settle in... Lily answered.

"Poo-poo. * _Giggle_ *"

Now, this should have made the Loud children breathe in relief, knowing that Lily was still close enough to be heard. It should have calmed them down, but one little detail made their blood freeze instead.

Lily's giggles were accompanied with an _echo_. And the only way that could be...

Slowly, their heads collectively turned to the entrance of the cavern. Looking at the wooden boards, they noticed that the hole made by one of the planks collapsing was very close to the ground, and large enough to let a cat fit in with ease. Or a groundhog. Or even...

"LILY !" screamed the children all at once, the mere thought of their youngest sister being inside the 'Child-eating-grotto' sending them in a frenzy.

"What do we do, _what do we do ?!_ " wailed Leni, who wasn't known to handle alarming situations very well. And alarming situations to her were more on the 'My hair dryer is not working anymore' level, so this event was even above alarming.

"Outta my way !" ordered Lynn with bravado. The siblings immediately obeyed, and Lynn, with a pumped shout, went to deliver a spinning flying kick to the decaying rectangles of wood. The impact made most of them explode in all directions, leaving only splinters and a huge gaping hole in the man-built barrier, enough for the siblings to go in one at a time.

They wasted no time, and all zoomed in, not thinking one second about the rumours surrounding the cave they were entering. "We're coming, Lily !" called Lincoln, entering last.

…

And just like that, it had struck again. Once again, the immovable maw of Mt. Ebott had seen young humans entering its dark throat.

 _And just like the others, none would reemerge from it._

* * *

A problem soon arose as the siblings delved further into the cave.

"Dudes, I can't even see my feet in here." said Luna, squinting her eyes at the darkness.

"Welp, time to sort out a phone, and do the _bright_ thing !" cracked Luan.

Lori bit back a snarky comment, knowing stakes were too high right now, and took her phone. She immediately selected the Flashlight App, illuminating the cave with such force that it made the siblings blink to accommodate. "Okay, are we all still there ?" asked the eldest girl, making a roll call before one of her siblings wander away.

"Indeed." spoke up Lucy, giving her sister the usual mini heart attack. "I've counted everybody before you even brought light into this realm of obscurity. I could feel their very presence lingering around my own tortured spirit."

"That's... great." Lori smiled hesitantly.

"By the way, careful with the sound and the flashlight. Fangs' cousins do not like being disturbed." added Lucy, pointing to the ceiling.

The Louds followed the direction she was pointing towards to, and saw that the plafond of the cave was full of sleeping bats. Lana and Lynn were top notch on reflexes, as they blocked Leni from producing a shrill scream that would have sent the animals into a dangerous state of panic.

"Keep it quiet, got it. Now let's keep walking." whispered Lincoln. The others nodded, and the trek continued.

They stayed quite close to eachother, not unlike the last time they were in a dark cave, and tried their best not to walk on eachother's feet. The path was fortunately very plain, with the occasional pebble or rock on the way, and even a couple of vines.

After taking a third turn, the siblings noticed a bright light in the distance. They heard Lily's giggles more clearly, and immediately increased their pace. And as they came closer, they noticed something standing aimlessly near the beginning of the lightened spot of the cavern. And that happened to be exactly what they were looking for.

"LILY !" the nine sisters and one brother shouted in collective relief. The little bundle of joy simply waved at them with a joyful coo, happy to see them.

Lori immediately dove forwards, and scooped Lily from the ground, hugging her as if she was going to vanish again. The others circled her, and expressed their happiness at seeing their baby sister safe and well.

"Oh thank gosh you're okay..." exhaled Lori with a smile, which immediately turned into a frown as she looked at the infant dead in the eye. "And what do you have to say for yourself, missy ? Leaving us just so we can worry our heads off about you. Well, any arguments ?"

Lily booped her nose. Lori sighed. Case closed !

Lincoln gave his own sigh of relief, wiping away the sweat forming on his brow. "Well, that was one rollercoaster of emotions early in the morning. Now how about we go back to the camping grounds before Mom and Dad notice we're gone, eh guys ?" proposed Lincoln. But he was met with silence. "Uh, guys ?"

Apart from Lori and Lily, all the other sisters weren't here anymore. Lori was quick to notice that fact too. "Girls ? Urgh, I lose them from my sight for _one_ second..." grumbled Lori in aggravation. "Girls, where the heck are you ?!"

"Over here !" called Lynn. "Come quick, there is something you guys must see, especially you Lincoln !"

Lincoln and Lori turned to where the sunlight shone the most, and caught sight of their eight siblings aligned, seemingly looking at something. Casting a glance at eachother, then at Lily, they approached the female pack with a twinge of curiosity. When they were close enough to peer above their transfixed sisters' shoulders, they immediately understood why they were so.

"Sweet sarsaparilla..." Lincoln said under his breath.

Just in front of them stood a vast hole in the ground. Around it proliferated vines and roots of many colours, even blue. Lincoln squinted as much as he could to get a view of what was at the end of it, but it proved futile, as the swallowing darkness of the pit seemed to expand endlessly through the bowels of the Earth.

Even the darkness didn't seem right, as the boy could have sworn he saw it shift. In fact, he even dared to say that he felt it... _looking back at him_. This thought alone sent shivers down the eleven year-old's spine.

"Hmm. Freaky. Dark. Mysterious. Just the way I like it." quipped Lucy, 'in the moment' so to speak.

"Do you think it goes to the center of the Earth ?" asked Lola with eyes full of youthful curiosity.

"Negatory, my dear cyclamen-clad sister. Not only would the magmatic sources of the Earth's stiffer mantle turn this mountain into a boiling volcano, but it is theorized that somewhere even deeper is a layer of pure emptiness, one that if attained, would immediately suck the atmosphere downwards just to fill the void itself, possibly provoking the extinction of life as we know it." tediously explained Lisa.

"Yeah, but aren't you a bit curious of what's down there ?" induced Lynn.

Lisa rubbed her chin in thought. She was all for discovery, in the name of science of course. And maybe just for kicks too. She was still a child after all.

"Man, if only we had some rope, we could go down there and explore..." Lana fantasized with a grin, approaching a wee bit closer to get a good view.

This sentence and movement, however, were enough to send alarms ringing inside Lori's head. "Woh woh woh, let's stop right here ! We are NOT getting down there !"

"Wow, chill out Lori. She was just saying things randomly, no harm done." Luna said, attempting to calm the agitated sistriarch.

"Good, let's all make sure it stays that way ! Now, everybody back off from the hole this instant !" Lori barked her order. The siblings immediately complied to her threatening tone, and put some distance between themselves and the enigmatic pit.

Lana casted her eyes downwards, thinking it was her fault Lori was in a bad mood. "I-I'm sorry, I wasn't really gonna do it, honest." she whimpered sadly.

Lori took deep calming breaths until she felt the anxiety wearing off. "I know, it's just... I'm sorry, alright ?" she amended to her little sister. "I just really wanna go back. This place gives me the heebie-jeebies, worse than the winter mode season of 2013."

A collective shudder ran. So many stripes, all going nowhere...

"Lori's right, let's just get out of here. We take one last photo with Lily in it, and then we never have to worry about this place again." said Lincoln, whose idea met an unanimous approval. Still sticking together, the siblings turned around to walk towards the exit.

And their eyes immediately went to meet the wide ones' of a huge crimson bat. On its two feet and discarding the folded wings, the creature was as big as the twins. But though it was tall, it looked just as scared and surprised as the humans staying still, mouths agape.

Suddenly, the bat unfulred its wings and screeched. Whether it was to make itself mighty and scary or just to say 'How do you do ?' was unknown, but it was enough to make the non-bat group yelp and they quickly all backed off.

All but one. _And that would prove to be their downfall._

Lucy, the one who hadn't flinched, was roughly pushed backwards. To make matters worse, as she tried to regain her balance, her feet bumped into a hard vine, which made her even more unfocused and backing even more.

Only soon, there wasn't much to back from, and she found herself just at the ledge of the gaping hole. She rotated her arms as fast as she could, hoping for a bit of momentum to get herself safely back on her two feet. But sadly, it was not to be. And she knew it.

Almost in slow-motion, the siblings turned towards their staggering sister, unparallelled terror invading their faces as they looked at her. Even through her bangs, they could see the 8 year-old's eyes reflecting the exact same amount of fear, something she hadn't even fanthomed about being swallowed by the darkness.

Her cry for help died in her throat as she began to feel gravity taking action.

" **LUCY !** " screamed Lynn, as she jumped into action. And she quite _litteraly_ did so, as she was too late to grasp her little sister's hand. She knew Luna was right behind her, so she didn't hesitate to throw herself into the pit for a couple of seconds. First she felt Lucy's grasp in hers, then she felt Luna's hand gripping her leg, and finally she grasped Lucy's other hand. She held on tight, the fearful expression of her roommate only fueling her tenacity.

On her end, Luna's hands weren't letting Lynn's socks go any time soon. "Hang on, mates !" yelled the rocker with strain in her voice. She could feel her knees beginning to tremble. "I could use some bloody help over here !"

"Coming ! I'm not letting you down, honest !" said Luan, joining her slightly older sister's grip on Lynn. Slowly but surely, they were bringing the athlete-spook duo back up.

But to accelerate the process, Lola and Lana felt themselves compelled to help. And unfortunately, the overalls-clad one chose that exact moment to trip on her primpy twin's dress.

"Watch it- whoa !" was all Lola could say before she found herself tangled and tumbling with her sister look-alike. Carried by this motion, they bowled the two anagram-sisters, which caused them to lose their footing and begin their descent as well, still holding on the feet of their sport-fanatic sister.

Lana and Lola quickly tried to make up for their mistake by grabbing one of Luna's boots and one of Luan's flowered shoes. However, their little arms were quick to buckle under the weight of four of their big sisters, but were soon joined by the cavalry, in the form of Leni and Lisa.

But even then, the Louds' streak of bad luck continued. Leni, usually good with her hands, fiddled with trying to clasp one of her sisters' feet, as panic made her palms sweaty and her mind even more unfocused. As for Lisa, her short arms proved to be not much leverage in her sisters' rescue, even though she held on as much as she could. And to top it all, Leni's flip flop **slipped**. On the rocky floor !

And thus they were only three.

Lincoln and Lori, cursing themselves loudly for being so slow, caught each of Leni's sandals. Lisa was gripping Leni's waist with all she had, as the ditzy teenager had one of each of Lana and Lola's legs in her hands, while they themselves still held Luna and Luan, who were supporting Lynn and Lucy.

And Lily was perched on Lori's shoulders, fretfully watching the dangling human chain her siblings had become, unable to help in any way.

' _This is not happening. This is so not happening !_ ' Lori hyperventilated internally. A simple photo shoot of a cave she couldn't care less about had changed into one of her worst nightmares. Scratch that, it _was_ her worst nightmare. All that was missing was Bobby saying he was breaking up with her and eloping with that weasel of Carol Pingrey. Tears began to sting her eyes, as her half-trained arms were screaming to let go, while her mind was howling to hold on.

Lincoln wasn't faring much better, as even helped, he was still supporting the weight of eight of his terrified sisters. He knew he couldn't let go, but as weakness began to plague his body, it also plagued his mind. "It's all my fault." whispered the poor boy, already feeling the tears roll along his cheeks. "I just had to insist. I just had to go take a picture of a _cursed cave_. And now, I've put everyone in danger. I-I didn't want to, but I did."

Lincoln's will began to ebb away, waves of guilt hitting him over and over. But... deep inside, a spark made itself heard, enducing an immediate reaction inside Lincoln's mind. He could feel a new, yet familiar fire invigorating his very mind. He looked down at the darkness, at his sisters, and instead of dread, felt the need to combat those pessimistic odds, that he shouldn't give up, at any cost.

' _They're... counting on me._ ' Lincoln's eyes turned serious. ' _We are going home._ ' He could feel his very being boil with... **Determination**. ' _WE ARE GOING HOME !_ '

Fueled with this belief, the white-haired boy shifted his footing, and began to pull harder than he had before. Lynn's sessions didn't compare to the strain he was feeling in his arms at the moment, but he'd be damned if he was going to let his family tumbling down to their doom. So with a strength he didn't know he had, the boy began to pull his sisters up. Inch by inch, they crept upwards, and Lincoln could only pray that his miraculous strength was to last, that the universe would stay on his side.

…

It unfortunately seemed he universe's watch team was on break at the moment.

* _CRUNCH !*_

Lincoln's eyes widened, and he could feel his burning determination freeze at the cracking sound. He really wanted his thought to be wrong, but the earth trembling under his feet let no room for mistake. The hole's ledge wasn't sturdy enough to support the weight of eleven young humans at once.

As such, nasty cracks began to spread along Lori and Lincoln's feet. The boy glanced at his sister, who looked back at him with the same amount of fearful shock, as did Lily. Lincoln then looked down at his dangling sisters, who had all fallen silent at the sound of the cracks still spreading.

For the first time in quite a long time, the 'Man with a plan' of the Loud House drew a blank, and so did his mind. Once he saw the soil marks stopping to widen, he understood, and as he closed his eyes, he squeaked two last meek words to the above world.

"Dang it."

And the earth crumbled, dragging the last of the Loud siblings into the darkness. Lincoln turned to the sky as he fell, only seeing the diminishing sunlight and hearing the shrill screams of terror of his beloved sisters. This would be his last memory, the cries for help of his family, all of them falling to their doom, the one he had caused. In his last moments, Lincoln saw in the furthering away light the face of a certain latino girl, whom he had made a promise he now knew he'd never uphold.

All the falling preteen could feel was sadness, guilt, overwhelming despair... and yet a strange sense of hope, like that little voice was still telling him to not give up.

Then, there was only darkness. Then, all faded to white.

 _And then, **red** was all Lincoln knew._

* * *

Rita Loud suddenly woke up, gasping as she could feel her whole being drenched in cold sweat. Her body shivered with a sense of fright and anxiety. This was especially strange since she didn't remember having any nightmare, and that dread still was grasping her even as she had come back in touch with reality.

And yet, she knew that familiar feeling. It was her motherly senses, and they were on code crimson, something she hadn't felt since Lori had that car accident three years ago. Immediately, went to wake up her husband.

"Honey, wake up !" pleaded the mother, shaking the slumbering man, who only gave a drowsy groan in response. "Lynn Joachim Senior, you open those eyes this instant, or there will be no more pudding for you for the next two months !"

While the threat seemed more child-based, it seemed to do the trick, as the Loud father awoke from his slumber. With half-opened eyes, he looked at his wife. "Alright, I'm up, what's happening ?" he drooled on his pillow.

"Something feels very wrong. I've got a really bad feeling in my stomach right now."

Lynn blinked. "Are you sure it's not all those marshmallows you've eaten last night ?"

"No ! Although, they're not helping." she said, feeling her stomach still disagreeing with the digested sugary treats turning inside it. She shook her head. "It's something else. I think something's wrong with our children."

"Alright, you must be tired, because you're getting pretty rude right now." frowned Lynn Sr.

Rita massaged her temples in frustration. "Not in that way ! I'm saying that I feel like something's up with them, like they are in danger. For instance, do you hear that ?"

cupped his ear, trying to understand what his wife was talking about. All he could hear was the wind, and the occasional trunk-knocking of a glowing green woodpecker. "Uh, I don't hear anything."

"Precisely ! There are eleven children around us, and we can't hear any of them sleeping. Not even Luan's sleep jokes or Lynn's earth-rattling snoring !" pressed the wife.

The man blinked again. She wasn't wrong, that _was_ weird. The Loud House's thin walls meant you could easily hear anyone in the house, and the parents had made themselves used to the constant surround snoring around them. So the eerie silence taking place at the moment was .

Seeing as he wasn't getting any more sleep as things presently were, he decided to comply. "Alright, if it makes you feel better, I'll go check on them." he said, giving her a reassuring peck on the cheek before getting out of the tent.

Rita stood in baited silence, as she heard her husband opening the tents doors one by one. She pricked up her ears in order to catch the drowsy moans and grumbles of her children, hoping to hear at least one for her nerves to be put to some rest. But she heard none. In fact, the sound of the tent's entrances being opened more and more frantically were only increasing her apprehension.

She then saw her husband return. She did **not** like his very shaky grin and his sweat-bathed forehead. "So, hehe, no need to panic or anything. But, um, there seems to be a reason why we don't hear them anymore..."

The woman didn't want to hear another word. She pushed her husband aside, and zoomed outside. She checked tent after tent, only to find a result she didn't want to believe in.

 _Emptiness._

Her eldest daughters ? _Empty._

The artistic ones ? _Empty._

Athlete and poet ? _Empty._

The twins ? _Empty._

The youngest prodiges ? _Empty._

Her one and only son ? _**Empty.**_

This was a mother's worst nightmare, to see her child disappearing over night. Only Rita Loud was hit by this motion eleven times harder. She found herself forgetting every yoga class she ever had been at, as she began to hyperventilate, clenching her heart in fear that it would jump out of her chest with how hard it was beating.

She nearly jumped out of her own jam-jams when she felt her husband's hands gripping her shoulders. The man adressed her with a calm and collected voice. "Honey, calm down, you're about to give yourself a heart attack."

However, Lynn's tone only unnerved Rita even further. "Calm down ? My babies have all vanished without a trace. _Don't you dare tell me to calm down !_ "

"I know, but this is no moment to freak out." he insisted.

" _ **It is the perfect moment to freak out !**_ "

"HONEY !" commanded Lynn with his rarely used 'big voice'. It got Rita to stop panicking, and the man tightened his grip on her shoulders. "Listen, I know this might seem bad, but it is NOT the moment to freak out ! Look, all their pajamas are in their tents, and their clothes from yersteday are not. This means that they weren't just swiped out of their beds, they did it on their own will. They may have just... decided to take a stroll."

Rita thought about it, but gasped when she remembered something. "Oh no... the legend of this place, you don't think-"

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet." the father cut in. "Look, right now, we are simply going to wait a couple of minutes for them to come back on their own. If they don't, then we'll go look for them. But I promise you that we'll find them. I swear to you that I will not rest until they are found, okay ?"

Rita slowly nodded at her husband, and both plopped down on the rocks they had assembled last night to sit around the campfire. The mother leaned on his shoulder, trying to get her rising tension under control. But who could blame her, really ? After spending seventeen years of her life of raising an ever-growing family, reliving the joy of being a mother again and again, and never once feeling like you just wanna throw it all away, one could understand how soul-crushing the poor woman was feeling right now.

She had always put her precious children before herself, she had made them the focus of her life, and now they were gone. All of them. From Lori, her first little bundle of joy, to Lily, still in her happily oblivious youth. Every one of her daughters and son had brought her a new facet of life. Few mothers could brag about knowing what was in fashion at the moment, reciting _AC-DC_ songs by heart, understanding all the rules of hockey, AND knowing the most famous works of Charles Baudelaire at the same time. She couldn't bare to lose one of them, let alone _all of them_.

Patting her hiccuping wife on the back, Lynn Sr. reflected on the present situation. He kept his head cool, but inside, he was just as dreadful about it. Every child of him had been a bumpy ride, from birth to this very day. Did he ever regret giving up his possible cowbell career for it ? Not for a single minute. Every bump to his lumbar vertebrae were accompanied with a fond memory, like the pride of teaching one daughter how to tackle, or showing another how to work the ratchet wrench. He knew he hadn't been- **wasn't** the most 'hip pops of the block', but just hearing them coo or laugh in mirth was just enough for the Loud patriarch.

And now... he may not hear any of them laugh ever again.

The man immediately kicked those thoughts out of his head. Those were **his** children he was talking about. He knew them, and that meant he knew that one little mountain and its legend certainly wouldn't be enough to stop their bulldozing will.

Serene, courageous, believing, crafty, gentle, and knowing right from wrong. He knew that all his kids had those qualities in them, and as long as they stayed as a whole, nothing could ever get the better of them.

They would be fine. He believed, **knew** that they would come back just fine.

After all, what or who could possibly stop them ?

* * *

The waterfall kept rushing.

As it ever did.

A flower stood alone in the room.

Still water everywhere.

Same old, same old.

…

Ripples deranged the peaceful stream.

One of the flower's golden petals twitched at it.

Something in the air felt unusual.

Something felt different.

A childlike giggle resonated across the room.

Finally... something felt _new_.

…

 _The Flower was gone._

 **LOUDERTALE**

* * *

 **Author's note : And the prologue is done ! Finally, we can get to the fun stuff, as the Loud Children finally collide with the Underground. I bet you've already made character pairs between the two universes, especially the most obvious one. Let's see if you can guess who will be associated with who...**

 **Now, I do require a bit of advice. As you know, every sibling must have one SOUL colour, and they can't all be red, only one can, and his position is already secured. But I'd like to know from each of you : What colour do you think the siblings' souls should be ? I'm already settled for a good lot, but it couldn't hurt to get a second advice on it. So don't hesitate to blabber away. No really, I need human contact !**

 **Don't to forget to review and tell me if I'm doing something wrong. If you are determined enough, be kind enough to point me my spelling errors, I seem to make quite a few of those. Comes with the fact that English isn't my native language in the first place...**

 **Anyway, this is Superdimentio77, singning out.**

 _ **(This Fanfiction will self-destruct... when I feel up to it.)**_


	3. Ruins, Part 1

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 1 : Ruins**

 **Part 1 : New world, new rules**

 **New chapter ! We enter the realm of the monsters, and the Louds are about to make their first encounters. One nice, and one WAY less nice. Pray for the children.**

 **Also, I thank those who have left reviews with SOUL colours ideas, but I was also disappointed that many were just telling me to give them the colours in the intro. While an interesting idea, I want to stay faithful at some rules of the UT universe, including the one of the seven colour traits. But your support for this story is still highly recognized.**

 **The Loud House is the property Chris Savino, and Undertale is Toby Fox's. Enjoy !**

* * *

After countless hours of dreaming about a pulsing wall of red that seemed to speak to him, Lincoln Loud stirred. The first thing he noticed was the numb feeling in his whole body, and while it made him feel very uncomfortable, the mere fact that he _could_ feel his body meant one thing to him.

He was alive. He had survived the fall. But how ?

Still drowsy, Lincoln took his time to fight against the numbness invading his body. Once he felt he had rassembled enough strength, the child slowly lifted his eyelids open. The first thing he blurrily saw was a blinding light. Then, he saw a large and swaying shade of yellow.

But the most potent next thing he saw was a blurred human form. Distinguishing a green sweater, messy medium-sized brown hair, light brown pants, and dark brown shoes, Lincoln immediately thought of Lisa. But he discarded his little braniac of a sister when he noticed that his/her sweater had a yellow horizontal stripe, the figure was too tall, and there was a severe lack of glasses on their face.

In fact, Lincoln could only notice one clear feature on the figure's blurred face. Their eyes, who shone a calm yet piercing blood red.

They did not move a muscle, only staring straight back at the white-haired boy's eyes. Lincoln felt confused by this, and decided he wanted to know more about this seemingly young red-eyed human.

Lincoln closed his eyes, shook his head to further fight the dizziness away, and took a better look ahead of him.

The mysterious child had vanished.

Lincoln blinked. ' _What was that about ? Was it my imagination ?_ ' He decided to tag this view as one of his half-asleep visions, like when he had mistaken a mop covered in black tar for his sister Lucy. The good morning kiss he had given it definitely woke him up though.

Our hero decided to use the bout of energy he had given himself to fully wake up, and rise his body from the ground. The oddly soft ground, he quickly noticed. Looking down at himself, he saw no gash or wound through his clothes, nor on his arms. He felt weirdly fine for someone who was supposed to have-

Lincoln felt his nervosity quickly rise up. First, he looked at the ground, noticing he was lying on a bed of golden flowers. Those must be what have broken his fall. But he quickly turned his gaze up to the sky, or rather the ceiling, where he saw that the source of sunlight seemed to come from large hole very high in it. And this hole's shape, even from afar, the boy could recognize it, as he knew this was the same hole he had fallen in. **And not just him.**

Lincoln gasped _externally_. By Ace Savvy's lucky underpants, he remembered ! "Guys ?! Guys, where are you ?!" shouted the boy with extreme worry, feeling tears of guilt and dread already stinging the corner of his eyes.

He was shut up however, when a hand aimlessly slapped him across the face. "Hnng... five more minutes, you dumb clock... _*Snore*"_

Lincoln immediately recognized his athletic sister's voice, having slept with her before, and not just when she had gotten in a fight with Lucy. Rubbing his sore cheek, Lincoln rose up again, this time on his feet, and looked around him. The bed of golden flowers seemed to be quite large, more than the size of his room's floor. But his view concentrated on something else, and tears of joy threatened to spill out as he looked over the ten slumbering figures who comfortably rested amongst the plants.

"Oh thank goodness, thank goodness..." whispered the child with a chuckle, drying up his tears before they could fall. He analyzed them again, and saw no wounds on any of them, much to his further relief. He didn't know if a four-leafed clover had gotten stuck inside his shoe during their fall, but he was simply glad they were all okay and accounted for.

As he took breath after breath of delicious, soothing oxygen, Lincoln began to see the dark side of their sudden stroke of luck. Well and alive they all might be, they still were stuck inside an unknown dark cave, with their only known exit being at least two hundred feet above, meaning they themselves were at least two hundred feet underground. Those were not promising odds.

But his sullen train of thought was pulled to the station when he heard an adorable yawn, one he knew very well. It was indeed Lily, who was oddly enough the first sister to wake up, tiredly rubbing her eyes with her chubby little hands. She looked around with curiosity at the unknown sights, then looked at the sleeping form of Lori, who had seemingly craddled her during and after their fall. She then turned her sights to the other person awake, and her lips perked upwards in a jovial smile.

"Linky !" called the baby, making a 'pick-me-up-please' motion with her arms.

Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle at his sister's enthusiasm. He scooped her in his arms, and the baby let out a coo of appreciation. "Hey Lily, glad to see you're awake. Had a good nap ?" he asked. She gave him a little happy clap in response. "Yeah, me too. Kinda."

Lily then looked around, and her expression became worried. She let out a long blabber, which Lincoln, thanks to Luan's lessons, translated in being something about their present situation.

"Yeah, I'm a bit worried too. Looks like we took quite a fall, and we aren't coming out the way we came in."

Lily gave a little whine. Lincoln hugged her a little tighter.

"Don't worry Lily, your big brother isn't giving up just yet. And neither will your big sisters, once they wake up." confidently said Lincoln. His lips tightened as he heard the collective snore of the aforementionned girls, and looked at the obscured stone walls surrounding them.

Lily blabbered a question. "Yeah, maybe we should wake them up right now." he acknowledged. Lily tapped her brother's chin as he put on his thinking face. "Hmm, maybe I should go for plan H. What do you think ?" Lily thought about it too, then nodded earnestly. Lincoln exhaled as he prepared himself. "Alright, here goes nothing."

Lincoln took a deep breath, and unleashed his flawless ace in the hole.

"Why Hugh, what ever are you doing here ?! Wow, you're taking off your shirt, and rubbing your perfect bod with melted chocolate ! What's that ?! Looking for the next Ms. Hugh, you say ?!"

" **WHERE ?!** " was the instantaneous reaction, as the girls' eyes blew open, almost-maniac grins adorned their faces, and completed their creepy act by collectively popping like a well-oiled jack-in-the-box, looking hungry for a piece of foreign hunk.

A moment later, the girls looked around to notice the blatant absence of the dreamy British man, and turned to their brother, furious at the trick he had pulled on them. "Lincoln ! I thought we agreed you were to never use the image of _Hugh_ against us !" said Lori, audibly fawning at the mention of _his_ name.

"Yeah, and doing it to wake us up is only in case of emergencies, not for your personnal fun !" reprimanded Luan. "It's not very _Hugh_ morous, you know. Hehe, get it ?"

"Oh yeah, emergency. Right, I didn't think this one through at all." nonchalantly said Lincoln, giving himself a slap on the forehead and blowing a short raspberry in a 'Duh !' manner. "How silly of me to think that having fallen down a couple hundred feet and being stuck down a dark hole could be any sort of emergency." added the boy with heavy sarcasm.

The comment was quick to sink inside the girls' minds, even Leni's, as they glanced at their surroundings again. Panic was quick to spell itself on their faces, more or less depending on the sisters' traits.

"Huh... that does change a couple of things." said Luna, gulping as she tried to keep a kinda cool head about it.

"Oh my gosh, it wasn't a dream..." mumbled Lori, rubbing her temples in hope that when she'd reopen her eyes, she'd be back in her tent like nothing happened. But nope, she was still here, much to her rising anoyance, that only rose further when she checked her trusted phone. "And would you look at that ? No reception."

"Wait, I've got an idea !" bounced Lana. "What if we shout as loud as we can ? Someone will hear us scream, and they'll come to rescue us !"

"Great plan, I love ice-cream !" squeed Leni with childlike glee.

"No Leni, she meant a _scream_ , as in what you do when you see that you are having a 'bad hair day'." explained Lisa, slow enough for the blonde to understand. She then turned to the much shorter blonde. "As for Lana's idea, I doubt that the attributes of the present hole will allow enough resonance to echo all the way through a cave of which few know its existence, and even fewer wanting to go near it." She looked upwards, and shielded her eyes from the sole sunlight point. "If only I had my tools and the proper materials, I could try to construct a lift that would most certainly allow us to ascend to freedom."

"What about you, Lynn ? Can't you try and climb it ?" proposed Lola.

The young teen's brow scrunched in reflexion as she observed the wall. She scratched a bit of its dirt, and shook her head. "No can do on this one. This wall's too fragile, it'll crumble for sure if I attempt. It's just too dangerous without some protective gear. I'm all for rash and improvised sports, but I'd rather not fall while I'm almost at the top, and miss the flowers. I'll get more than a sprained ankle, and you'll get more than a nasty bump on the head if you try to catch me."

"But there's gotta be something we can do !" pressed the princess in desperation.

"Well we wouldn't be in that situation, if a couple of ankle-biters hadn't turned into ankle-bumpers." frowned Luna, the normally cool sis apparently soaking the bad feelings around her like an annoyed sponge.

"I approve." supported Luan with a frown of her own. "Both the pun, and the pointing finger."

The twins gaped at the acccusation thrown at them, then turned sour. "Hold on, are you trying to pin this whole thing on us ?!" growled Lana.

"All we're saying is that we were both pulling off that gig, until you decided to crash the party by bowling us over !" said Luan, to which Luna nodded.

"We were trying to help, you nimwits !" cursed Lola, livid to hear herself being yelled at for trying to do the right thing for once.

Seeing the argument on the rise, Leni decided to intervene. "Guys, now's not the time to fight ! I mean, Lisa wasn't much help earlier, and like, you don't see me making fun of her."

Lisa's eyes widened, as Leni had unconciously hit the biggest, but touchiest part of her very expanded psyche : her ego. She threw a murderous glare at the blonde, who shrunk back. "Excuse me ? I feel obliged to remind your feeble mind, that it was your faulty footwear and fiddling appendages that cost us precious time and leverage !" accused the toddler genius. She took a nearby stick, and illustrated her point by whacking one of said appendages.

Poor Leni recoiled her hand with a yelp, and felt tears nearing her eyelids as she tried to rub and kiss the pain away. Her face then morphed into an angry grimace. "Oh yeah ? W-w-well, you're a shortie, always needing a wooden 'sta-oul' to get anything she wants !"

Lisa felt herself trembling with fury, as her glowering glare would have melted the lens of her glasses if it could. "Try saying that again, you ignoramus maximus. I dare you..."

"Shortie, shortie, shortie ! I can't even hear you because of how _short_ you are !" childishly insulted Leni.

The two-against-two argument had become a six-way glare-battle royale in a matter of seconds. Lincoln cringed at the more and more palpable tension. And when he saw Lola stop them, he had a feeling it wasn't to stop the hostilities.

"Wait you guys ! I've just been thinking, it's clear who's the real cause of all of this. Lucy !" she pointed a gloved finger at the emo, who emitted a light " _gasp_ ".

Lynn was quick to put herself defensively in front of her roommate, glaring at her snarling sisters. "Hey, leave her alone ! She didn't mean to fall, it was an accident !"

"Could have fooled me." huffed Lola. "As if it would annoy Ms. Vampire-wannabe to fall inside a pit of eternal darkness, far away from the sun that dares to hurt her _fictional_ love of her life."

"Maybe I wouldn't have been forced to fall, if someone's **big sparkly butt** hadn't pushed me backwards." spat Lucy, irritation clearly straining her monotone voice.

Lola was known to have more than one berserk button, and her body appearance was the third most explosion-prone. "GO GET A HAIRCUT, YOU HIPPIE, AND THEN WE'LL TALK !" shouted the pageant queen in great wrath.

Lucy loudly gasped. She had just been called an overoptimistic tree-hugger, who dressed in all colours of the rainbow, and kissed 24 kittens a day. Her teeth and fists clenched in boiling ire. _How dared that little pink troll ?!_

Lynn could feel her spooky roommate's anger, and began to feel it flowing through her veins too. "I said back off, or you're gonna get it !" she shook her fist in warning.

"Oh go chase a ball, Fido." grumbled Lisa with a 'shoo shoo' gesture.

Lynn's face scrunched in a snarl. Now they had made it personnal. She felt her combative spirit itching to throw in a good jab or two in order to cool her blood down. And her mind decided that maybe her veins were right, prompting her to crack her knuckles with a sneer.

The tension, now between eight sisters, was becoming almost suffocating. Lincoln and Lily eyed the arguing ball of anger with great concern. Things were getting sour a bit too quick for their taste. "This is getting too vicious, we've got to stop them somehow." whispered Lincoln to Lily and the viewers.

"Girls, stop arguing, it's pointless to declare whose fault it is." suddenly berated Lori with a stern frown. This made the other girls drop their tension a little.

Lincoln sighed in relief. Never had he been so glad to hear his sister's angelic voice of reason.

"Yes, it is litteraly useless, because **I** know who's at fault here. And the answer is : ALL OF YOU !" suddenly snapped Lori, to the collective shock and anger of the accused.

Lincoln's smile drooped. Yeah, he should have seen that one coming from all the way up there.

"Is it _really_ that hard to understand a simple order ?! When I say let's get out of here, it means we hightail back on the double ! But nooooo, we had to look at that stupid hole ! Don't listen to Lori, it's not like she is trying to protect us from problems ! Well guess what, SHE IS, AND SHE'S SICK OF A BUNCH OF TWERPS NOT LISTENING TO HER !"

"Oh pipe the nagging, grandma." Lynn spat her venom.

Yeah, so remember that talk about berserk buttons, about a minute ago ? Well, Lori had her own buttons. And it turned out insulting her age, was the _worst one_ her siblings could press. " **RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH !"** hollered the crimson-faced Lori like a raging animal, as she rammed her verbal assalliant, immediately going for her ponytail.

Thus, hell broke loose, and so did another brawling dust cloud. Yelps, growls, and insults emanated from it, as punches and kicks flew in all directions. Yet another scuffle between the Loud siblings, a pure battle royale of clawing and biting galore.

Lincoln took a wise step backwards, really not wanting to be sucked inside one of her family's eternal fights by accident again. He groaned in exasperation. Couldn't they see this was not the time ? The boy hesitated for a second though. The last time he had interfered with one of his sisters' fight, the results got... less than pleasant. But a quick look around and at the slightly upset toddler in his arms quickly reminded him why he needed his sisters to focus at the moment.

Lincoln's eyes gained a sparkling glint. He was **determined** to stop this nonsense.

The boy put his index and thumb in his mouth, and let out a sharp whistle, which immediately froze the sisters in their quarreling. The only one who moved in the following ten seconds was Luna, who spit Lana's sneaker from her mouth with a confused and disgusted expression. How did that get in there ?

Lisa frowned at the interruption. "Lincoln, I thought you were briefed on the principles of the Sister Fight Protocol during the last 'Raging Volcano Alert'. Am I to be advised that you've gained Leni's shorterm memory as well ?" said the scientist, glaring at the ditzy blonde, who blew a raspberry in response.

Lincoln rolled his eyes at the condescending reproach. "Oh no, I learned my lesson. I can't resolve fights in a snap of my fingers, sometimes I've got to step down to see if you can resolve it on your own, and only intervene when it drags on for too long. It's a rule I've accepted to follow in our dear home."

The sisters raised an eyebrow, impressed by his bout of maturity, but knew that there was more to it. And indeed there was.

"Oh, but I've just noticed a teeny weeny snag in the application of this theory at the moment : WE AREN'T HOME !" the Loud brother suddenly yelled. "In case it's _still_ not apparent to you, we are in pure unknown territory, far from everyone, without any guaranteed exit ! And you fighting over who made who fall down isn't getting us any closer from coming back to Mom and Dad ! Besides, it's pretty clear who's the one to blame for being here in the first place."

Even Leni caught on who Lincoln was talking about. It was pretty clear that the snow-haired boy was blaming himself for the whole ordeal. They were tempted to agree with him for a second, but were dissuaded by the heavy guilt radiating from his sullen expression, making them feel pretty bad for their poor brother.

Lincoln shook his head, clearing his misty eyes from any liquid, and gaining a look full of will. "Look, I understand that this is different. This emergency is clearly bigger than our usual "Only one pudding cup left" or "The toilet is clogged again" types. But we just can't let the stress get to us and fall into petty bickering. We have to stay tight and united, until we can find a way back to the surface. Please guys, we're all into this mess, so let's fix it together. For us. For Mom and Dad. For Lily."

He accentuated his last argument by lifting Lily in front of him and in clear view. The baby's pupils tripled in size, and gave the most imploring pout she could make. At the view of utter cuteness in front of them, the sisters began to feel terrible, ashamed of starting a fight during such dire times. But being the Loud siblings, they were quick to bounce back on their feet.

"Dudes, Linc's right. We can't affort to lose our focus this time." perked up Luna, feeling the same fire of will igniting inside her heart. "We gotta act like a team on this one, or we'll be stuck down here forever, eating rocks to survive."

"Studies have indeed proved that an geologic diet is properly inadequate for human digestive transits, as is a complete lack of sunlight for too long. Thus, you can count on my support." said Lisa with a small smile.

"While I spoke of this situation as a personnal dream, we do need to go back. Not only because I don't want to drag you into my torment, but also because I now feel that my own decaying soul is not yet ready to wholly experience eternal oblivion." monotoned Lucy. "After all, I haven't known the excrutiating pains of puberty yet."

"We'll show that cave that the Louds don't _cave_ in, hahaha !" joked Luan as she high-fived with Luna, who groaned at the pun.

"Adventure time ? You can sign me up !" grinned Lynn, puffing her chest with bravado.

"Oooh, I should have packed my exploring outfit. I had the totes cutest blue jacket for the occasion !" chirped Leni.

"Let's do this !" cheered the twins in a rare session of twin-talking.

Lily giggled along, showing that she was just as ready to explore.

Lori looked at her siblings, and sighed. Once again, they had rallied without _her_ say-so. But it's not like they were wrong, just that she would have wanted to be the first one to say it. She nontheless smiled at her siblings' excitement, and cleared her throat to get their attention. "Well, it looks like we're on all the same page. So let's establish some ground rules to respectwhile we are down here." The siblings groaned at Lori being 'in charge' once again, while Luan joked about something being ' _Underground rules_ ' instead.

"First rule, no petty fighting. If you've got a problem, you _talk_ it out. Second, if we find something to eat or drink, we share it in eleven equal pieces, no matter how small it is. And third rule, the most important one, **No more splitting up** ! Unless it truly can't be helped, we stay together at _all_ time. If someone even thinks about slipping up from the group for some freelance exploring, I promise this person a wedgie so bad, they won't feel their butt for a week, am I clear ?!"

The others hastily nodded. Lori's wedgies, when she put her heart into it, were a force to be reckoned with. Seeing their approval, Lori let her threatening snarl fall to match her siblings' determined smiles. "Then let's find our way home." The others cheered at the words of their de-facto leader.

Lincoln smiled. This was the Loud family they needed to be right now. He handed Lily back to Leni, who accepted her without complain. "Okay, now that we are ready, where do we go first ?"

"Perhaps we should begin with the only path that's been waiting for us since we've been there." Lisa pointed behind them.

The others looked, and indeed saw a short but large grey-tiled path that ended with an entry on the left.

"Wow, can't believe I didn't notice that." said Lincoln to no one in particular. "Okay, then let's go !"

"As a group !" reminded Lori.

The Louds thus left the flower meadow, and trudged along the path, before finding themselves in front of the entry. They quickly took note of its peculiar design, being craved in perfect rectangular shape with dark purple columns supporting it. A small engravure rested above it, but it was too small to be discerned by the travelling youngsters.

"Wait, why would there be columns inside a hole ?" said Lana. She then gasped. "You think we've fallen into some kind of lost city, with spooky ghosts haunting it ?"

"Yesssss." cheered the little poet in her own Lucy way.

Lori rolled her eyes at the absurdity of her sister's words. "Yeah right, ghosts. Why don't you throw in some skeletons while you're at it ?"

At this precise moment, the Loud siblings could have sworn they had heard a roaring bout of can laughter of the ones they could find in some of Luan's cheesy shows from the 80's. They shook it off though, having dealt with weirder stuff just by being near Lisa's lab.

Speaking of Lisa, she was looking quite interested in the entry's decoratives.

"This is quite the fascinating work nontheless. I detect some Merovingian inspiration, but I can tell that I've never seen this particular architectual style before, nor do I recognize this strange symbol, although I could swear I've seen an obscure mention of it somewhere. Oooh, this new information makes our current blunder much more interesting !" squealed the young genius, delighed at the idea of discovering what could be some of mankind's lost history.

"Well, what are we waiting for ? Let's go in already !" said Lynn impatiently. The others approved, and entered.

* * *

In the new room, everything seemed shrouded into darkness. The walls, ceiling, and ground were all as dark as night. The only things that didn't seem to be so were another archway at the end of the room, and a grass spot in the middle of the room bathing in light.

And on this little grass patch rested a golden flower, slightly bigger than the ones in the previous room, and with its back turned on the siblings.

"Aah, fow-er." cooed Lily.

"Lily's right, it is a pretty flower." said Leni with the same wonder in her eyes.

"Man, looks like we are gonna stop to smell all the flowers of this place, hehe !" laughed Luan, initiating more groans.

"Well, unless it can talk, I don't care." refuted Lori sternly.

" _Well then, it's your lucky day !_ "

The Loud siblings jumped when they heard the weird voice coming out of nowhere. "W-who said that ?" said Lori in slight fear.

" _Why me, silly !_ " said... the flower ? As it turned over ? WHAT ?!

"Howdy there friends ! The name's Flowey. **Flowey the Flower** ! How are you all doing in this fine day ?" said the flower with a giggle, produced by its mouth. _That it apparently had_. It rested on its white face, _that it had_ , under his two black eyes, _that it also had._ Flowey's petals bounced, as _he_ swayed like an amused child who had a merry tune in his head.

If the Louds' lower jaws were to descend any lower, they would certainly just detach themselves, and tumble on the ground. Their eyes were all wide open, and their pupils had shrunk in shock. Their brains were currently trying to figure if what they were seeing was real, or if last night's burgers and marshmallows were really that bad. Slowly and through pinching themselves on the arms repeatedly, the siblings slowly had to accept that this was no food-poisoning dream. They all kept sort of calm about it.

Well, all but one.

Lori's left eye twitched, before her lips slowly creaked upwards, and a slight giggle escaped her lips. "Heh... Hehehe... Hehehehehe. Hahahahahaha ! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !" guffawed Lori hysterically, her eyes going in two different directions, and some of her hair pointing and curling, soon becoming a wild hairy mess.

As they looked their oldest sister in surprise, the siblings' reaction was immediate. "Oh no, she's gone cuckoo !" pointed Lola.

"Quick, lay her on the ground !" said Luna, usual next-in-command in that kind of situations.

They were quick to do so, guiding their cackling sister as gently as possible to the ground. Great concern passed over the features of the ten sisters and brother, as they watched the usual wall of morale that was Lori crumbling into insanity.

"It appears that she is in a state of deep shock over what she just saw. It would seem that under that appearance of placated authority, she hid a great bubble of stress and pressure, that popped by this revelation." analysed Lisa, slight unease appearing through her large glasses.

Lincoln, though just as concerned, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the little genius. "Honestly, I thought you'd be freaking out too. Doesn't that go against anything you've ever believed in, or something like that ?"

Lisa looked at her brother with an indeed strange calmness. "Well, I might look like so on the outside, but I can assure you that my psyche is experiencing a great deal of chaos at the moment. For you see, my scientific self is currently curled in fetal position, crying that all she knows is a lie, and all her carefully tucked theories igniting without any blaze being started. My inner child on the other hand, is dancing on the back of a space unicorn, gleefully screaming at the top of her lungs about the discovery that magic might actually be a reality. As such, the intense rational despair and youthful ecstasy that I am currently experiencing balance eachother out, making so that I am not 'freaking out'. I'm not quite sure how this operates yet, but I'm just grateful that it does."

This mystery cleared, the two looked back to Lori, who didn't look like she had calmed down at all. If anything, she looked even more frazzled.

"How do we get her back to normal ?" asked Lana, scratching her head.

"Let her tire herself out ?" proposed Lynn with a shrug.

"Negatory, we can't let her fall deeper into shock." answered Lisa with upmost seriousness.

"But can't we do something ?!" said Leni, afraid for her only older sister. Luan caressed her hand in reassurance, but to little effect.

Meanwhile, the little flower observed the scene with a slightly akward smile. This... wasn't at all what he expected to happen. "Uh, is she okay ?" asked Flowey in some degree of 'concern'.

Lori's insane laughter stopped for a moment, and she dressed herself back on her butt in a flash, her cheek-splitting grin making the sisters back off in slight fright. "WHY YES, MISTER TALKING FLOWER ! EVERYTHING IS ALL DIDDLY FINE ! AND WHO KNOWS, MAYBE BLARNEY THE DINOSAUR WILL PAY US A LITTLE VISIT AS WELL, AND WE CAN ALL HAVE SOME PEPPERMINT TEA IN LITTLE DANCING CUPS ! HAHAHAHAHA !" And when her rant was done, she crashed down on the ground again, maniacally cackling to the point of tears.

The sisters cringed some more. They really hated to see Lori in that predicament. Lincoln especially did, remembering a less-grumpy Lori accompanying him for his first strolls in the park, and introducing him to the wonderous world of ice-cream. Unable to keep seeing her being so vulnerable, so to speak, the brother gripped her by the shoulders.

"Lori, you've gotta snap out of it ! I need you here, we all do ! We need the severe, but just leader of our chaotic sibling bunch with us !" said Lincoln, looking the young woman right in the eyes. Lori's demented cackles began to soften up, reducing to brief chuckles, uncertainty appearing in her eyes. Undeterred, Lincoln pressed on. "We are going to be alright, you hear me ? The stakes don't matter, we'll overcome this new ordeal like we've always done before, together. Just please, don't give up the race while we are at the starting line."

The others gave their own compassionate words and gestures, slowly bringing their big sister back to her right mind. Her unhinged chuckling progressively stopped, and the fear in her eyes dissipated. Once she felt herself calm and sane enough, she brought herself back on her feet with the help of Lynn and Leni, the latter arranging her wild hair with the comb she always seemed to have on her. For some additional comfort, Lily was handed to her, and the baby cuddled her. The poor teenager still looked a bit shellshocked, but definitely seemed better. She let out a shaky sigh.

"I'm good, I'm good. I-It was just a little moment of weakness, that's all."

"A little ?" said Lincoln with a raised eyebrow.

"Fine, I litteraly crashed ! I got scared, but that won't happen again, I swear." Lori smiled. "Thanks guys. Just, don't remind me what just happened here ever again." she amended. They quickly shared a collective hug, and the blonde felt at peace for an instant. She felt in control again, and sensing her family so close to her, she promised herself that no rational force would stop her or her siblings.

 _Yeah, about that..._ ( _*Narrator nervously tugging on their collar sounds*_ )

"Feeling better ?" asked Flowey in a sweet voice, the little plant still radiant as ever.

As the hug broke up, the eldest teen allowed herself a grateful grin. "Yeah, much better, thanks."

"That's a good thing to hear ! Hmm..." Flowey took a pensive stance. "Say, not to be rude or anything, but you guys aren't from around here, are you ?"

"No, we kinda fell down a hole." bluntly admitted Lincoln. "We're actually from up here."

"Golly, you don't say. That makes you humans, right ?"

"Well, yeah. What else could we be ?" asked Luan, raising her eyebrow.

"Why, monsters of course !" chirped the talking plant.

" _MONSTERS ARE REAL ?!_ " yelled the Louds in unison, some in wonder, some in confusion, and others in terror.

"Why, what did you think I was ? Down here in the **Underground** , you enter the **Kingdom of Monsters** ! Things are not quite like they are up there, there are many things you should know if you wanna stay safe."

"But how can we learn them in time ?" said Luna in slight worry.

Flowey allowed himself an internal smirk at the Louds' expectant looks. A couple of sentences, and they had walked right into it. Boy, they were just as naive as that man-child dunce in a cape...

He shook himself back to reality. After all, a trap couldn't be expected to properly work if the preys inside it could still escape. A bit more sweet talk, and then the _real fun_ would begin. "Well, looks like it's your _super_ lucky day !" perked the flower, bobbing on his leafy pivot. "Because you have lil ol' me to explain you how things work down here !"

"You'd do that for us ?" grinned Lynn.

"Why of course ! What are friends for ?"

The Louds cheered, all in their own way, but Lincoln found his joy to be a bit strained, something not feeling quite right with this situation. Not getting why, he shrugged the unsettlement off.

Two leaves appeared on Flowey's stem, and he rubbed them together in anticipation, positively beaming at the human group in front of him. "Alright, let's get into the most basic stuff ! Now, you may feel weird for a moment, since it's your first time, but it's all gonna be okay. Ready ? Here we go !"

The coach in petals' eyes suddenly gave an odd glint, and a weird feeling passed through the siblings. They felt as if their bodies were concentrating their energies into a single point per sibling. And out of the blue, this point of life energy felt like it was jumping out of their chests. And after shaking their heads off, they looked ahead, and realized it wasn't just an impression.

In front of their respective chests, floated a little glowing heart, no bigger than their fist. A strange energy emanated from those floating shapes, but they just felt... right to the children for some reason.

"Oooh, so pretty..." Leni's eyes twinkled at the view of the small **green** heart in front of her.

"What the heck are those ?" whispered Lynn, as she clutched her own **orange** one. When she squeezed it gently, the little heart sent a shiver down her spine, followed by a warm feeling of pride.

"Those little hearts floating in front of you, you all see them ?" asked Flowey, to which the humans nodded. "Well, those are your **SOULs** , the very culmination of your beings."

The revelation sent wonder into the hearts of the Loud group. One, however, found herself more taken aback than the others, and not in the same kind of amazement. "Wait, are you trying to tell us that those small glowing very cartoon-used shapes of our cardiac organ represent everything about us ? Our psyche, our living essence, the functionalities of our entire body, are actually all relied to a tiny magic SOUL ?" articulated Lisa slowly in disbelief, her **purple** heart secured in her small palm.

"You got that right !" winked Flowey with the same peppy tone.

The little genius looked at the little thing with wide eyes. She didn't want to believe that this could be real life. This was basically admitting that **MAGIC** was a fact that did not just exist here, but had always existed. Just the thought of believing in such lunacy burned her tongue. She could feel her throat bloating with all the refutal rants she wanted to induce herself into, as well as towards this weird little weed, whose his and the floating object in her hand's sole existences were an insult against everything she stood for. Her eye twitched, her mouth opened, ready to flare statements left and right !

But then, she remembered her inner child and what had happened to Lori two minutes ago, and came to a simple conclusion. "Sure, why not ?" mumbled Lisa in a ' _I can't be bothered to care_ ' tone. She had a feeling that this was just the beginning of her world's vision crumbling into pieces. What a fun time that was going to be.

"There must be a problem with mine, then." droned Lucy, looking at her bright _**yellow**_ SOUL. "Not only do I have one, but it's shining as bright like that cursed ball of gas, instead of its supposed cold and empty ebony colour." She glared closer at it. "Dim and decay already." The SOUL only shone brighter, almost making the annoyed little goth crush it like an annoying mosquito.

"Well, I like mine !" Lana grinned her almost-toothy smile, poking her **orange** SOUL with great amusement. "Not only is it dirt-coloured, but it tickles when I touch it !"

Lola scrutinized her own **blue** concentrated self with critical eyes. "Hmm, it's sparkly, but it would be way better if it was pink. Well, I guess sapphire _is_ in season."

"Man, this is both the freakiest and coolest thing I've ever seen ! Safe for Mick Swagger, of course." smoothly said Luna, spinning her own **yellow** SOUL on her finger like a guitar plectrum. "If only I had my axe right now, I feel some sick lyrics coming to me !"

"Well, I'm sure you'll remember them, as long as they come from the _heart_! Hahaha, get it ?" guffawed Luan, taking her eyes off her luminous **blue** heart for an instant.

"Oi..." Luna shook her head.

"Well, mine at least blends with my dress." commented Lori. She quickly noted that the **cyan** colour of her SOUL blended perfectly with the one of her opposite on the sibling age spectrum, although the size of the two hearts were relative to their owners' age difference. The youngest child pointed at her little SOUL with a coo, making her big sister smile warmly. "Yes Lily, I did notice that we are twins in pretty little heart colour. Do you like to have the same colour than your big sister ?" she added in baby talk, greatly amusing the giggling Lily.

Lincoln kept silent, eyeing the reactions of his siblings, then turning back to his own little SOUL. Personally, Lincoln knew he was more of an Orange guy, he liked the colour enough to wear it day after day. But he had to admit that there was something endearing into the bright _**Red**_ hue his life energy was reflecting him. It felt like a fire that could never be put out, telling him to never give up, and that bothered the boy a little. He had had resolve before, but never to this intensity. Except perhaps when he was at the edge of the hole he was now trying to escape from.

Another thing that Lincoln managed to pick up, was the SOULs' outlines, both his and his sisters'. While theirs displayed one resembing his own crimson chroma, his essence's outline seemed to faintly reflect the colours displayed in the SOULs of the ten females, chiseled in ten equal parts. Lincoln's brain rattled against his skull, not quite knowing what to get from that detail. Were they _related_ somehow ?...

Lincoln's face melted in a light frown. Great, now Luan was getting to him too.

Soon enough, Flowey interrupted the excited and loud babble of the children by clearing his throat. _That he had._ "So, as said before, these are your SOULs, the very essence of your beings. Every monster that you encounter can reveal them. For now, your SOULs are quite weak, as indicated by your **HP**."

Lincoln felt his mind wander to his many video game memories at the word, but he could only wonder what that had to do with them. "Uh, HP ?"

"Oh, silly me, I forgot. Now, look above your heads, and you should see yellow bars and some numbers."

The Louds obliged, and indeed saw the yellow lines. They collectively wondered if those had been there the whole time. They also saw the same type of characters at their left, which consisted of their names, _HP_ and _20/20_.

"Yellow again. The universe seems to keep taunting me." mumbled Lucy. " _Sigh_ , misery is found under the layer of happiness being constantly shoved to your face."

Lucy's siblings gave her a long look, both spooked and in awe at the deepness of her words, while Flowey just kept grinning, though he groaned inside. ' _Why do I only find weirdos down here ? Well, it won't be that way much longer anyway..._ ' the flower mused, then continued his lesson. "So, those are your _HP_ , the amount of life energy circulating inside your SOUL. If attacked, your HP will be delepted, more or less depending on your endurance and your enemy's strength. And if it reaches zero, well... let's just say you really don't want that to happen."

Flowey's grim words sent chills down the eleven's spines, as they quickly caught on the threat of their Life Force being drained to zero. It meant **death** , and they were now aware of it. Things just got a lot darker to the Loud siblings.

The petaled teacher was quick to bounced off their paleness though. "But do not worry ! As I told you before, your SOULs do start off frail, but you can make them stronger by gaining a lot of LV."

"More acronymes ? Urgh, this whole thing sounds like a lecture of a board game's rules by Lisa." groaned Lynn, ignoring the little genius' grimace and mumbling about her explanation of Capitalism Supremacy teachings inside Monopoly being very accurate.

"Now, what do you think it means ?" Despite it being a question he was about to answer, Flowey blinked when he saw Leni bounce on the spot, and lift her hand like a little school grader wanting to be interrogated. "Uh, yes ?"

"It means LOVE, right ?" chirped Leni innocently, prompting the others to roll their eyes at her answer's naivety.

Flowey blinked. "Huh. That's actually the right answer, yes ! LV does stand for LOVE !"

"Yay !" rejoiced Leni.

"And because I like all of you, I'll even share some LOVE with all of you ! You'll be strong in no time !" winked the flower.

"Creepy way to say it, but thanks !" said Luan.

While the others smiled at the prospect of the help provided by their new friend, Lincoln scratched the inside of his ear with fervour, as he couldn't get a strange whistling out. It felt like someone was whispering something to him, but he saw none of his sisters doing it. Feeling a bit disturbed, he decided to focus on Flowey, who had made little white seeds appear in the air, gently twirling on the spot.

"You see, down here, LOVE is shared through... 'friendliness pellets'." shifted Flowey, as though he was making the name on the spot. "All you have to do is stand there, and catch them. I even made enough for each of you !" There were indeed eleven 'friendliness pellets' on stand-by. "Alright, here you go my friends, get them all !"

The sisters stood expectantly, ready to accept the gift provided by the friendly plant. Meanwhile, Lincoln's face scrunched up as the hissy whispering got noisier. Not only that, but he could feel an odd grasp overcoming his red SOUL, as though the message itself came from it. Louder and louder it became, until he heard.

* _He is not your friend, and neither are his pellets._

Lincoln let out a sharp gasp of realization, and he looked back at the approaching seeds, closing in on his oblivious sisters' SOULs. His brain sent a single message, and his body obliged in a heartbeat. He threw himself against his sisters, and managed to push them all out of the way, making them fall in the process.

Lori grunted at the sudden roughness, and turned back to glare at his brother. "Lincoln, what is wrong with you ?! You can't just-"

But she didn't get to finish that sentence. When Lincoln had pushed the girls to the ground, he had taken their place as the receiver of the pellets. And while the girls thought for a brief instant that he was going to greedily hoard them all for himself, their view changed dramatically when the 'friendliness pellets' collided with his SOUL. The boy suddenly let out a sharp cry of agony, and fell to the ground in a heap. The sisters' protective instincts were kicked to overdrive.

"LINCOLN !" they yelled, circling their fallen brother. To their horror, he now sported cuts all over his body, and looked positively horrible. Looking at his _HP_ bar, they could see that it had decreased drastically, to the point when he only had **one** remaining. His little SOUL was dimming, and looked like ready to spit in half at any moment.

The poor boy hacked and held himself immediately, the simple fact of coughing sending great pain into his body. "It hurts..." was his weak and pitiful cry.

"C'mon Lincoln, stay with us !" called Lana, close to tears at the view of her hurt big brother.

"Let him lay down, he musn't move too much or it will induce his body into some nasty draining of his hemoglobin through his cutting marks !" warned Lisa, barely managing to keep her professionalism through all of this.

As the girls fretted over the boy, the only non-human of the room simply kept his smile on, altough its sweetness was starting to ebb away. "Golly, looks like your brother was smarter than you, ladies. But it seems it wasn't without a cost." chuckled the flower, mocking condescencion appearing in his voice.

Lynn turned to the plant, scathing anger appearing over her features. "What the 'H' is wrong with you ?! You said you were gonna help us, not cripple us !" shouted the jock heatedly.

Flowey lowered his smiley face, veiling it in the shadows. "Hehehe... Golly gee, you guys are one sad bunch of _**idiots**_." chuckled the flower darkly, his voice morphing from sweet and childish, to a demon's high-pitched one. In place of his cheery face now stood dark eyes and a sharp toothy grin, both oozing with malice.

This change struck cold fear inside the sisters' looks, and Flowey enjoyed every second of their pathetic trembling. " _Help you ? Why would I ever do that, when your journey is ending this very instant ?!_ " sneered the flower with malevolent glee. " _Though, let it not be said that I can't hold_ all _of my promises. You see, I've still got to finish my lesson, by teaching you the one Golden Rule of this world. And that rule... is that it's_ _ **KILL OR BE KILLED !**_ "

The sisters huddled even closer, their fearful shaking intensifying. Lily and the twins were even tearing up, the flower becoming a nightmare surpassing everything they had ever imagined. Yet in their fear, they did not forget to protectively encase the wounded Lincoln, who likewise wanted to protect them, but the diminished boy was too weak to even lift himself from the ground.

Flowey's grin diminished, but his overall malevolence didn't, as his dark eyes were now illuminated with two gleaming red dots. " _Looks like we know on which end of this rule you and I stand. But don't feel too bad. Keep in good mind that_ nobody _will miss you down here. Or maybe that's a bad thought ? Well, too bad, too sad. Now, be good little children, do one last favour for your friend Flowey..._ "

A sound close to the one of a machine gun resonated, and hundreds of 'friendliness pellets' trapped the Loud Siblings in a circle, cutting any tactical retreat or possibility to lunge at the traitorous weed. The ball of fear formed by the Louds tightened a bit more. Their SOULs shuddered in unison as they realized that this could be the end.

They glanced one last time at Flowey, who beamed in wicked ecstasy. "... **and DIE.** " he finished, then released a high-pitched delighted cackle as his pellets slowly closed in. He relished in the dread he was finding in the children's terrified expressions, and even more by imagining the millions that would display the same feeling of terror very soon. With these idiots' SOULs in his possession, he could finally make his dreams come true... as well as the nightmares of all beings of this world. _HIS world_.

The sole Loud brother looked at the approaching doom-bringers, and ignoring his body's excrutiating aching, passed his arms around as much of his sisters as he could, embracing them tighter than he had during the time when a twister had nearly blown their house away. Was this it ? Was this how the cookie crumbled ? After his courageous speech earlier, they were getting a Game Over on the very first foe ? His body seemed to accept the idea, so did his brain, but his heart did not. The little red heart was weak, and its light was dangerously fading. And yet, it still told him to hang on. Lincoln knew he had no better plan, so as he shut his eyes from the murdering seeds only inches from ripping into human flesh, he **act** ed.

' _Help ! Somebody help us !_ ' he called internally, hoping for someone, anyone to hear his distressful message. ' _Please..._ '

…

 _And somebody came._

* _ **VROOSH !**_ *

Startled by the sudden noise, the siblings opened their eyes at once. To their surprise, the friendliness pellets were being burned by a ring of embers, making quick work of the seeds and turning them to mere ashes, which disappeared in thin air. Tentatively, they looked at Flowey, who looked just as bewildered than them, although in a more annoyed manner.

"Huh ?! How did you pesky kids even do tha-" He was promptly shut up and catapulted to the side by another fireball he had failed to notice. After an impressive double front flip and an unceremonious landing on his face, accompanied by an audible _thump_ , Flowey cursed under his breath, wondering who the [ _Mercy_ ] was responsible for this unexpected and unappreciated interruption.

Then he realized. Such expertise of fire magic, burning his seeds without leaving a mark on the kids. He frowned. _Oh joy_. _**Her**_.

Knowing he needed to scram, Flowey casted a murdery glare at the siblings, who warily watched back. The nasty little plant let out one last hiss with forked tongue effect, contently sending one last bit of fear into the Louds' hearts. He then replanted his stem, and departed through the soil.

The Louds blinked collectively, still very shaken by this near-death experience, and turned their eyes from where Flowey had stood to find the source of those shots of fire. They quickly found it, but were now kinda wishing they hadn't.

By the entrance across the room, stood a figure engulfed in shadows, except for its right hand which was still burning with the flames it had thrown at the Louds' assailant. The figure was tall, the siblings could tell from where they stood, attaining seven feet in height or so. This grand figure also featured two horns on the top of its head, and two crimson eyes glaring at the spot where Flowey had been.

The siblings gulped. It seemed they had jumped out of the frying pan into the _fire_. Well, those were Lisa's brain quote and Luan's internal pun. The others' thoughts were along the lines of 'Ah crud' and 'Dang it'. One thing was for sure, they did NOT like this turn of events. They'd almost been rolled over by a little flower, and they were now facing something bigger and apparently more powerful.

And it could shoot fire, that was scary too.

The mysterious being's arm lost its blaze, and was lowered. Suddenly, he/she turned in their direction, making their hearts skip a beat, and their tension got progressively worse as he/she slowly walked in their direction. They heard a breathing intake, and sweated profusely at the deep and menacing words that were about to come through the being's mouth.

"Oh, what a miserable creature, torturing such poor innocent children. For shame, truly."

Their minds drew a blank. Those certainly weren't the words nor the voice they had been expecting to come from the creature's maw. Then, it stepped into the light, and its appearance was revealed. _Her_ appearance, they quickly noted.

The best way the 'monster' could be described was one of an antropomorphic goat woman. She had two little horns on the top of her head, that were followed by two long fuzzy ears tumbling from her face. She possessed none of the sharp teeth the Louds expected her to have, and her eyes, while still red, radiated now a warm and soothing aura. She was barehanded and barefooted, ending into fluffy white paws and feet that pratically demanded to be patted. Finally, the female monster was clad in long purple robes with white sleeves. On her chest and stomach resided the blurry symbol that the Louds had seen a couple of minutes ago, only now it appeared clearly : Three triangles, one being upside-down, standing under a white circle with angelic wings.

Again, this was an unexpected sight for the eleven humans. They simply did not know what to make of their saviour. And when she gave them a warm smile, their guard lowered, but their confusion only grew. "Are you quite alright, children ?" asked the monster in a gentle tone.

But the memory of saccharine talk given by another monster, as well as what he had done to their brother, were quick to get the girls' alarm levels spiking red again. Through their 'sibling mental link', which only activated during great emergencies, mistrust resonated across their minds and they made their positions clear.

Leni, Lisa, Lucy, and Lily grouped around Lincoln to shield him, without squeezing too hard, while his other older siblings plus the twins took fighting stances. They had been yellow dogs and scaredy cats with that traitorous weed, but this time they would fight, uncaring about the fact that it was against the one who had made said weed run away in the first place.

"Step back dude. If you mess with us, we'll shred ya more than a _Flaming Chili Spices_ solo." threatened Luna, going into her rare 'sister wolf' mode.

"Those braces aren't just for show you know, so don't make me have a _tooth_ against you." glared Luan, baring her buck teeth to show that she was ready to go for the bite.

The heated glares thrown in her direction made the monster stop. She lost her smile for a moment and blinked, but it swiftly came back, only a tad more careful, somehow. "Oh my. You have nothing to fear, children. I mean you no harm."

"Likely story, lady." sneered Lola, readying her sharp nails. "A bit unoriginal though."

"Yeah, the little daisy served us the same malarkey before he tried to _murder_ us. Sorry, but we ain't taking any more chances." growled Lynn, cracking her neck and knuckles in anticipation.

The Goat Woman's features fell in concern. But not for herself, mind you. She saw what the girls were so dearly trying to protect, and let out a soft gasp at his _HP_ 's number. She needed to help him, but she knew she had to convince his fierce guardians first. "But I assure you children, I will not harm you, I merely want to help. I can see that one of you is injured, and I might be able to heal him."

The sisters were not convinced one bit by the woman's speech. "You ain't touchin' him. Not on my watch." said Lana, dropping on all fours and baring her teeth with a growl like a hound on the verge of attack.

Lori took her own stance, remembering her self-defense classes. "You heard them, lady. Don't come any nearer, or we _will_ attack." she menaced in a tone that meant business.

Meanwhile, trapped in his sisters' protective hug, Lincoln gathered all his strength to stay focused on the palpable tension progressing between his aggressive sisters and the midly flustered monster. He eyed the Goat Woman intently, and felt another whisper in his ear. Only this one didn't warn him about the creature before him, but rather assured that she was telling the truth.

The strange little voice also seemed somewhat bitter about it...

"Guys, let her through." weakly interfered Lincoln, his raspy voice managing to crawl out of his throat.

The sisters looked at him as though he had became insane. "Are you nuts, Lincoln ?! We can't risk it, not after what that mean dirt-eater did to you !" voiced Lynn.

"Hey, what did I- oh right, Flowey." reacted Lana, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.

"We don't want you to get any more hurt." murmured Lucy, concern dripping over her emotionless tone.

"I know, and I'm grateful for that." feebly smiled the boy. "I know it sounds weird, but my guts are telling me to trust her, just as they told me that Flowey was dangerous. So please, I beg you... give her a chance."

The sisters looked at one another, great apprehension in their eyes. But looking back at their brother's pleading eyes, they resolved themselves to oblige. Lori gave a small nod, and the fighters hesitantly stepped aside, as the huggers gently laid their brother on the ground. They kept a laser focus on the Goat Woman passing before them, ready to jump on her at the first suspicious movement, though she only smiled thankfully at them in return.

Once she was at Lincoln's level, the woman monster gave him a tender look. She kneeled in front of him, and held her hands. Flames accumulated in her hands, and the siblings immediately tensed, but quickly got confused when they turned to a shade of bright green, and even more when they didn't burn Lincoln when she applied them on his chest and SOUL. The boy felt a warm and fuzzy sense comfort invade his being, as though hundreds of kitten were kissing his boo-boos away. His wounds were closing, his SOUL was getting brighter by the second, and his _HP_ were slowly flourishing back.

Once the bar had reattained _20/20_ , the monster stopped and quickly stepped back. Lincoln looked at himself, and saw that it was as if Flowey's attacks had only been a bad dream. He jumped on his feet, feeling as good as new. In fact, he felt even better than before. Immediately, he was affectionally mobbed by his sisters, but nothing he didn't expect.

"Lincoln !" cried the twins as they hugged his midsection. With a chuckle, he ruffled both of their hairs.

"Oh Linky, like, are you alright ?" asked Leni, squishing his cheeks to see if he was okay.

"Am' foine." answered Lincoln.

Lisa quickly analyzed her brother's form, even looking under his shirt to be sure. When she saw nothing, she let out a sigh of relief. "You seem to have been perfectly cleansed of all your injuries, there are no traces of the gashes left by this hateful Bellis Perrenis. Simply incredible, how did she do such a fine work ?"

"Magic ?" shrugged Luan, just happy to see her little bro to be back on her feet.

Lisa opened her mouth, then thought for an instant, then closed it with a small grimace. "Sure, why not ?" she mumbled distastely.

"Dude, we were so worried." quipped Luna, giving her bro a hug on her own.

"Yeah, we thought we had lost you back there !" said Lynn him a punch in the shoulder, which Lincoln rubbed with a smile instead of his usual annoyance at the display of tough love.

"Guys, I'm fine, really. I'm just glad that whacko didn't get to harm any of you." said Lincoln with a light shudder, as he remembered the vicious glee in the deranged flower's eyes, a sight that was sure to become the main theme of his nightmares for the next two weeks. "I mean, we sure got lucky to be saved by... by..."

He stopped as he glanced at the person he was trying to name, who was smiling at the sight of loving humans. Was she really just content of saving them ? Could a person be that nice ? Well she needed some recognition, was what Lincoln thought.

He carefully shook off his sisters' embrace, and took a few steps in the woman's direction. He gave her a polite bow to illustrate his gratefullness. "Thank you for saving us, miss Goat Woman. We would have been toast if not for your help."

She politely chuckled. "Oh, it's quite alright, my child. I simply could not let that horrible person harm you poor children just for some repulsive pleasure." she explained, scrunching her face at the end of her sentence. She smiled again. "But pray tell young one, what is your name ?"

Lincoln mentally slapped himself for having forgotten to even introduce himself to his saviour. "The name's Lincoln, ma'am. Lincoln Loud." He turned to his staring sisters. "And those are my sisters."

The Goat Woman blinked in surprise. "Oh my, ALL of them ?"

"Yep, the Louds are one big family." chuckled Lincoln. He then began to point his sisters in order. "In order, the tallest one with the blue top is our eldest, Lori."

"Um, hello." said Lori a bit akwardly, as she reproduced Lincoln's polite bow.

"The one with the sunglasses is Leni, our stylist."

"Hi~" waved Leni enthusiastically.

"Then there is Luna, our rocking musician."

"What's shakin' ?" grinned Luna with her cool attitude.

"The grinning one with the braces is Luan, our um, comedian."

"Loony Luan, at your service !" cracked Luan.

"Next up is Lynn, athlete extraordinaire."

"Yo." simply greeted Lynn with a flick of her hand.

"Lucy, our dark and spooky poet."

"I salute you in this long and meaningless trek that is life..." recited Lynn, prompting Lynn to lightly bump her. "It means hi."

"Under all that gloom, she's a really neat person. Anyway, we then get to the twins, with Lana the handygirl and her red cap..."

"Nice to meet'cha !" Lana grinned a toothy smile.

"And Lola the pageant queen with her pink dress."

"A pleasure, I'm sure." curtly bowed Lola.

"Green sweater plus glasses equal resident genius Lisa."

"My most sincere greetings." lisped Lisa, adjusting her glasses.

"And last but not least, our baby sister, Lily."

"Poo-poo." giggled Lily.

"And that makes eleven of us." smiled Lincoln. He then noticed how far back the siblings were from the Goat Woman, and called them. "C'mon guys, get over here. She's not gonna bite."

The sisters glanced at one another, and slowly walked to join their brother in front of their rescuer, a bit of hesitance still visible in their step. Assuming her role as leader, Lori cleared her throat and advanced closer. "Um, hi again. I just wanted to say, on behalf of the others, that we are all very glad for your help. Thank you." she said with an even tone, extending her hand as a sign of friendship. She stiffened a little when the woman clasped it in a gentle but firm shake with her larger paw, but soon felt very relaxed at the sensation of her comfy fur and warm smile.

"Thank you as well to have let me intervene, Lori. You seem to possess authority amongst your younger siblings, a gift I trust you use wisely." said the fuzzy monster.

Lori shyly smiled at the praise, then glared back at the siblings she had heard snickering at the mention of her 'using her authority wisely', who were now whistling innocently. She let the woman's hand go and placed herself back with them.

"So, who are you exactly, lady ?" asked Lynn with a bit of suspicion. She wasn't going to completely trust her yet, it had almost cost them big time a minute ago.

"Oh ! How silly of me. I am **Toriel** , guardian of the **Ruins**. I come here every day to see if a human have fallen down, which haven't happened for quite some time." She then chuckled a bit. "Though I must say, it's the first time I find multiple humans at once, let alone _eleven_ of them, and all siblings even."

Toriel's sentence about humans having fallen down before clicked something inside Lincoln's brain. "You think she's talking about the six others that have disappeared ?" whispered Lincoln to Lisa.

"It's a possibility..." murmured Lisa back. She thought of asking, but decided that it was better to hold that thought for the moment. In the meantime, she asked for another matter entirely. "Am I to understand you have knowledge of this region ?"

A bit of surprise passed through Toriel's features at the bespectacled toddler's vocabulary, but she understood perfectly. "Indeed, I can safely guide through the catacombs. I'd just hate letting children fend for themselves. But... I suppose it is up to you." she spoke the last sentence with a bit of apprehension, almost worried that they would say no.

The Louds looked at eachother, and knew what to do. "Um, can you excuse us for a minute?" said Lori. She then ordered, "GROUP HUDDLE !", and they did just that in an instant.

"Well, what do you think guys ?" asked Lincoln.

"She's pretty rad in my book." nodded Luna.

"She's so pretty too !" added Leni.

"Her robes make a nice style, even if they are too colourful for my taste." said Lucy.

"Her fur is begging to be stroked !" Lana said with her animal-loving enthusiasm.

"I know it's rare, but I totally agree with her on that." vouched Lola with an equally excited grin.

Lily agreed too, clapping her hands with all her childlike adorableness.

"I dunno guys. I'm kinda still reeling from what happened with that rotten little dirt-bag back then." Lynn sneered at the thought of the plant that had harmed her family, and made her look like a coward. "I mean, what if it's an act too ? What if she wants to eat us or something ?"

"While you make an interesting point, and my knowledge on herbivores' eating habits is worth zip in that particular situation, it would still be most insulting to simply shoo her away like a nuisance after what she's just done for us." concurred Lisa with expertise.

"I guess..." relented Lynn.

"Yeah ! Plus, I don't know about you guys, but I have a pretty _goat_ feeling about this ! Heh, get it ?" Luan threw her joke, resulting again in groans and eyes pointing to the sky.

They then turned to Lori, who bit her lip, looking a bit torn. This was no decision to be taken lightly, she knew that. This was her siblings and her own safety that were at stake here. On one hand, they were asking her to put their faith into a complete stranger. A nice one, but still someone they had met a minute ago, who could be very well hiding something like Flowey.

On the other hand, without her, they would be left to trek aimlessly in the Underground, without knowing where the exit could be, or if there there even was an exit ! How would they find food ? Water ? A resting place ? What if all the other monsters were like Flowey, or worse ? Lori's face gained a little more paleness. Toriel being gone also meant that Flowey could jump from behind any bush and finish the job. And it would be all her dang fault ! And then she would never pursue her career as mayor, never marry Bobby, never settle down with their two kids they'd name Louise and Roberto-

She slapped herself back to reality. Dagnabbit, no time for another panic attack ! Knowing she had weighed the good and bad of this decision, Lori took a deep breath, and took action. "Okay, since we litteraly have no other choice, I say we follow her. All in agreement ?" The others let out a cheer of approval. She nodded, and turned back to Toriel, who was humming a little tune. "We accept your help, Miss Toriel."

"Hehe, so polite. But you can simply call me Toriel, my child." giggled Toriel, making Lori blush a little again. She turned in direction of the other entrance. "Now come along."

And with that, she departed. Not wanting to be left behind, the Loud siblings excitedly followed. Lincoln gave one last glance at the patch of grass where Flowey had been, before being pulled forward by Lynn.

* * *

Many of the Louds found themselves whistling at the impressive sight before them. Bathed in a strange light, the walls of the Ruins' entrance stretched all the way to a high and leafy ceiling. Even though age was clear on the purple columns, they still stood strong and dutifully accomplished their role. Vines were slithering along the old walls, their green clashing with their purple hue. In fact, the colour pattern of the entire room only seemed to consist of shades of purple.

"Y'know, they could have made a little artistic effort when they gave this place its paint job." criticized Lola.

Luna raised a tentative eyebrow as she looked at her own purple garments. "What's so wrong with purple ?"

The little princess shrugged. "Nothing's wrong with purple, it just seems a bit lazy to paint an entire room in one colour. They could have added some silver, maybe some shades of red. Or better yet, shades of pink."

On this wise decoration advice for your grand halls, the siblings carried on along the room, and arrived at a small twin set of stairs. Both of them led to another archway to pass, where Toriel stood in front of, waiting with her ever-motherly smile. "This way, children." she said, and passed the doorway.

Between the stairs were a few dead leaves, their crimson colour attracting the eye of Lynn, Lana, and Lily. They wanted to play with them, but were stopped by Lori. "Girls, I'm sorry, but we've got no time for silly games." she argued, much to the disappointement of her little sisters, especially Lana. Crispy dead leaves were the reason Fall was her favourite reason, even more than mud itself.

Lincoln felt a pang of sadness at Lana's sad face, but as he gave her a pat on the back, he noticed something amongst the leaves.

 **A twinkling little yellow star, giving away a mysterious, yet reassuring glow.**

"Guys, do you see that ?" asked Lincoln, pointing at the shimmering light.

The others noticed it, and began to approach it like moths, but still carefully enough. Their eyes collectively twinkled at the small gleam pulsing in thin air, making for a quite adorable effect if one was to look at the group.

Curiosity got the better of the sole boy, and before he even realized it, his hand was on the shiny star itself. And when they made contact, the star twinkled brighter and released a harmless shockwave that sounded like the pulse a heart. But though there were no physical consequences, the hidden SOULs of the siblings shuddered in unison.

This greatly startled the sisters, who chattered worriedly and chatised their brother for acting without thinking. But before the boy could apologize, he heard it again.

That voice.

* _The shadow of the Ruins loom above you... You are filled with **Determination**._

"Huh ?!" yelped Lincoln, quickly whipping his head around to find the one who had prevented his siblings from getting hurt. But once again, he found none. He scratched his head. ' _Am I losing my marbles already ?_ '

"LINCOLN !" yelled his sisters, shaking him back to reality.

"W-Whazzup ?!"

"Are you alright, Linky ? You, like, spaced out, kinda like Lisa when she is in deep in her big books with the big words." said Leni.

"Those are called Encyclopedias, but she's right, you were failing to answer us. What seems to be bothering you ?" asked Lisa.

Lincoln watched his sisters' more or less concerned stares, and wondered if he could tell them his problem. ' _They'll either think I'm nuts, or laugh at my face._ ' he frowned internally, but progressively mellowed at the concern in their eyes. ' _Well, maybe now's not the time to keep secrets from them. Besides, they'll be more mad if they find out later I kept something like that for myself._ '

With a sigh, he relented. "I know it's gonna sound weird, but... I think there is someone talking to me. In my head." He braced himself for the incoming roar of laughter... but it never came. Opening his eyes, he just saw the plain confused faces of his sisters, and their looks still plagued with mid-concern.

"Lincs, what are you talking about ?" asked Lynn.

Lincoln scrunched his lips as he tried to deliver a satisfying answer. "Well, just five seconds after touching that star, I heard a strange voice. None of you heard it ?"

The sisters looked at eachother, then back at him. "Are you sure it wasn't one of us you heard ?" said Luan.

Lincoln shook his head. "No, it was clearly someone different, it wasn't feminine, and it had a bit of a... ghastly tone."

Luna, one of the most worry-looking, kneeled at her little bro's level, and touched his forehead to detect any heat surplus. "Love, are you sure that crazy flower didn't hit you too hard in the noggin ?" she spoke soothingly in her british accent.

Lincoln gently removed her big sis' hand. He was glad for her concern, but he knew one important fact to debunk this theory. "That can't be it either, because I heard that voice just before I pushed you out of the way of Flowey's attack. **It** told me that Flowey was no friend of ours."

Lisa tapped her chin in thought, trying to get a semi-rational explanation out of this. A hard task when the natives of the place they were standing in already defied logic. But as true as her adoration for cookies, she was a tough one too. "Hmm, if I had more informations of the physics that define this world, I could give a proper answer, but for now, I think our verse-prone sibling would the most appropriate find a potent theory at your conundrum." she motionned to Lucy, who nodded.

"A presence from the past could be inhabiting you, one that clearly joined you when we entered his realm, just as Great Grandma Harriet's ghost can only talk to me when we are home instead of accompanying me everywhere I go. If everyone that live here can use magic like Toriel or Flowey, it might be able to follow you through the entire Underground." said Lucy as she paced a bit, delving deeper in this mystery like the sleuth she had learned to be like with her big bro. "The thing I'm not getting is why it only took a hold on you. I am clearly more inclined to communicate with the spirits, and if it wanted an easy mind to access, it would have chosen Leni's head."

"Hey !" interjected Leni, visibly offended. "I'm not an easy girl ! I totes got complicated tastes." She passed her fingers through her blonde hair, and gave it a 'whooshing effect'.

"Leni, you litteraly kissed a poster once, thinking it was a cute guy." countered Lori in a deadpan tone.

The ditzy fashionista grinned. "Ah, such a sweet talker that Nick..." she dreamily sighed.

Lucy ignored the small bout of banter, and pressed on. "This spirit must have found something else to bound with your own soul. Tell me, what has it told you ?"

"Um... I think it was something about the Ruins, looming above us, and feeling us with... damnation ?" the boy scratched his head, before snapping his fingers. "No, _Determination_ , that's what they said !"

"Brr, that word gives me the willies for some reason." Lana shivered in her sneakers.

"I'm pretty sure that's what this whole place is doing." sighed Lori, massaging her temples. She wasn't experiencing any stress this time, but a dry feeling of tiredness instead. Too many weird things were strangely happening way too suspiciously fast. "I can only wonder what this place is gonna surprise us with next."

Since Lori had asked so politely, the universe answered her demands in record time. Because as soon as she had said those words, a large black panel blinked in existence, floating above the star and frankly freaking out the sibs. The dark rectangle, with its white borderlines, simply stayed silent for a moment, before a white keyboard appeared at the Louds' level, and words appeared on the screen.

 _ **Please insert the name of your grouped SAVE file.**_

"SAVE file ?" parroted Lola.

"Why do I always have to ask ?" groaned Lori.

While the meaning was lost on the girls, an old reflex quickly sprung off inside Lincoln's mind. "Hmm, I think I know what we have to do here." he said with confidence. He briskly stepped towards it, and his sisters could only watch as he typed a name he knew would please everyone.

 _ **LOUDS**_

 _ **Is this name correct ?**_

"What do you think ?" he asked.

The sisters looked and felt officially lost. Many of them could only wonder if that was how Leni felt all the time. "Huh ?" resumed Lynn in a simple word.

"In video game jargon, a Save file is basically something that allows you to Save your game at a certain point so you can come back to it, and as many times as you want until you Save somewhere else. I'm not sure how it works here, but because I didn't want to lose time, I just went with a name that would content everyone." explained Lincoln like it was an absolutely normal thing to describe.

Lisa rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "And now properties of those electronic brain cell chokers seem to appear in real life." she mumbled through her teeth. "A little bit of sense. Is it truly too much to ask from this place ?"

"Just enter the name and let's go. If we wait too much, our fuzzy guide will be worried, and that'll turn into one _hairy_ situation. Why, she could even get _fur_ ious ! Get it ?" joked Luan, getting groans and a raspberry from Lily.

Lincoln rolled his eyes at the pun, and pressed the Enter button. The keyboard immediately vanished, and a little _ping_ indicated the success of the operation.

 _ **LOUDS – Ruins Entrance**_

 _ **LV1 – 0:12**_

 _ **File saved successfully !**_

And with those words, the panel vanished as quick as it had appeared. Compared to what the Louds had already gone through, this barely fazed them, and they thus shrugged it off. Never mind the general suspicion that they would get to see much freakier stuff as they'd go on.

But along this thought of slight dread, a feeling of unity began to resonate among them. They even joined hands as they collectively ascended the stairs and passed the entrance which Toriel had gone through. It was a small gesture, but it held a very deep and soothing meaning for the usually chaotic bunch.

Twisted dream or brand new reality, they were in this together. And none would be left behind.

This thought what was truly feeling them with _Determination_.

* * *

 _ **LOUDS Group analyzed. Individual names saved in SOUL and alphabetic order.**_

 _ **Lily LOUD, Patience**_

 _ **Lori LOUD, Patience**_

 _ **Lana LOUD, Bravery**_

 _ **Lynn LOUD, Bravery**_

 _ **Lola LOUD, Integrity**_

 _ **Luan LOUD, Integrity**_

 _ **Lisa LOUD, Perseverance**_

 _ **Leni LOUD, Kindness**_

 _ **Lucy LOUD, Justice**_

 _ **Luna LOUD, Justice**_

 _ **Lincoln LOUD, DETERMINATION**_

 _ **LOADing properties of old SAVE File overwritten.**_

 _ **LOADing Function now avaliable to LOUDS Group.**_

…

…

 _ **Extra member detected.**_

 _ **New Entry being added. Loading...**_

 _ **CHAR_**_

* * *

 **Author's Note : Woah, I got really lost in that one. It was supposed to be 10 pages max, and it suddenly turned into a 26 pages beast ! I always do that...**

 **Well, what do you think ? Do you like the Louds' SOUL colours ? Does Flowey feel in-character ? Is Toriel motherly enough ? BTW, Toriel will be the first one to personally bond with one of the Louds, maybe two. I wonder if you'll guess them before the next chapter...**

 **Next up, kindness training with Coach Toriel ! And then maybe recess ? We'll see ! In the meantime, this is Superdimentio77, advising you to keep a weedkilling spray in hand. With this story, you never know...**


	4. Ruins, Part 2

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 1 : Ruins**

 **Part 2 : Tu-Toriel (Get it ? GET IT ?)**

 **A new Chapter attacks ! Will you have the MERCY to read it through ?**

 **Loud House and Undertale, not mine, got it ? Enjoy the show !**

* * *

The siblings entered the next room, immediately noticing six stone squares on the ground, a closed doorway, a lever, some writing on the wall, and one Goat Lady patiently waiting for them.

"Ah, there you are children. Found something interesting along the way ?"

"There was... something interesting, alright." mumbled Lynn uncertainly. She was glad that Toriel didn't pry for more answers, because the mere fact of thinking about what happened a minute ago still rattled her brain to no end.

"Welcome to your new home, innocent ones. Please adjust yourselves to the sight of the puzzles laying around, as there are many more. Puzzles are ancient fusions between enigmas and doorkeys, and they need to be solved in order to proceed." lectured Toriel with a big smile.

Before the Louds could question her about the meaning of her first sentence, she stepped on four of the stone switches and pulled down the lonely lever. The twin locked doors instantly slid open.

"See ? I'm sure you will all learn in no time. Now let us continue." said Toriel, passing the door as soon as she was done talking.

"Puzzles ? Darn it, this really is a world thought out by Lisa !" said Lana in dismay, earning herself a glare from the genius.

"Hey, check this out." called Lincoln towards the inscription on the wall. Curious, the sisters approached, and read it.

" _Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road._ "

Lucy nodded at the omnious message, indicating that it had obtained the ' _Lucy seal of poetic quality_ '. Something to be proud about, for sure.

"Looks like they do a better job in poetry than in room decoring around here." quipped Lola, frowning at the room's ever purple pattern. Was the guy who made this place really that unoriginal ?

"Actually, this is not a mere warning or sonnet, but a clue to solve the puzzle of this room." pointed out Lisa. "' _Both walk not the middle road_ '. Knowing this, our furry guide stepped on the marble locking system while avoiding the central tiles. The 'middle road' was not walked upon, thus she could proceed." Lisa gained a small exciting grin. "A pinch of logic needed in order to progress. I may have rushed my judgement of this place."

"Well, my logic says that in a world of pure unknown, when your sole guide passes a door, you don't let yourself fall behind. So let's bounce." ordered Lori. The siblings nodded, and followed after Toriel.

* * *

The next room held _more_ purple, as well as streams of water, small bridges to join the gaps' sides, more writing on a wall, a wooden sign, multiple levers, and a row of spikes at the room's far right that blocked the only way out.

"To further proceed, you must activate the right levers. I left clues to help you in this endavour. I'm sure you can easily find the solution from this point." encouraged Toriel.

As she crossed the bridge, the siblings caught a glimpse of the wooden sign's words.

" _Oh boy, you can read ! Aren't you a smart cookie ?_ "

"Cookie." cooed Lily, acknowledging the reference of the delicious sugary treat with a bit of drool.

"You're telling me, lil' sis. I could really go for one right now." said Luna as she patted her breakfastless stomach.

The Loud children made a small detour to see what was marked on the wall.

" _Stay on the path._ "

They compelled to it, not sure why this particular written order would be standing out of the path it was mentionning them to stay on. Must have been placed there by someone looking for a cheap laugh.

Crossing the bridge, they found their first choice of levers. Or rather, _lever_. They observed it throughly, and they felt as if they needed to press it for some reason.

Hmm, may had something to do with Toriel's bright writing that told them to press say lever. _Maybe..._

"O-kay, this one's pretty easy." commented Lincoln as he brought the lever down.

"Aww, I wanted to do it." chimmed Leni with a pout.

"Uh, you can do the next one ?"

"Okay !"

They crossed the second bridge, arriving in front of Toriel. "Only one left to press, children." said the motherly monster. Sisters and brother turned to look at the two levers in front of them.

That's right, not one. **Two** **! The humanity !**

Now, this would've been a thought to be laughed at by the Loud children, if not for the fact that it was Leni that was supposed to resolve this puzzle, the one who **still** could mess basic algebra. Last time she had been trusted to make pancakes, her putting 20 times more sugar than necessaryin the batter had resulted into a Sugar-pocalypse that had blown away the Royal Woods' Family Sports Day.

Details needn't to be given, but let's just say Lily hadn't been the only one that had ended up running 'au naturel' that day...

Anyway, the happy blonde pratically skipped to join the levers, but her face lost its joy when she found herself in front of them. Important questions began echoing through her head. Which one to press ? And what of the consequences of a wrong choice ? Leni Loud knew there was no place for dumb luck here, as she observed the two metal sticks with the eyes of a hawk, trying to decipher a measly clue left by the ancients...

"Oh come on, Leni !" hollered Lori, frustrated by her sister's idiocy. She couldn't be _that_ swallow.

She felt a large paw on her shoulder, and Toriel looking at her with a neutral glance. "Now Lori, every child must go at their own pace. There is no need for shouting." Toriel lightly reprimanded.

"But you _litteraly_ wrote the answer on the wall !" insisted Lori, pointing at the bright arrow indicating the left lever, with a clear notice to pull it down. "Leni, there are words on the wall ! Use your brain, and read them !"

"I'm not blind you know, I see the words !" rebutted Leni with a small whine. "But I'm not sure I can trust a sign again, not after last time. I never found the kitchen, and I ended up in the city's sewers ! The smell lasted for two days !"

The siblings glared at Luan, making the guilty jokester wince in guilt. "Oh come on you guys, I said I was sorry at least a thousand times !"

"Tell it to the pair of sandals we had to incinerate !" accused Lola with a frown.

"Children, children, let us be calm. There is no need to start fighting over such triviality." said Toriel, efficiently defusing the situation, something that greatly impressed both Lincoln and Lori. Toriel then adressed the latter with a patient tone. "Lori, as the eldest, you must remain helpful in your younger siblings' steps. When they stumble, you mustn't shout at them for it, but help them realize a better way, so they can learn to walk by themselves. And for that, you must have _patience_. Do you understand, my child ?"

Lori timidly nodded. Toriel gave her a smile and a pat on the head, and turned to the struggling fashion expert. "Leni, trust in yourself. Do not be afraid, for you have no reason to feel so. Because deep inside, you know the right choice to make."

Toriel's soothing words added a great deal of safety upon Leni's heart. Suddenly, she managed to get her mind to actually focus on the task at hand, and she found herself _understanding_ the solution. Armed with newfound confidence and a steeled gaze, she reached for a lever and cranked it down...

And it seemed that pressing the left one was the _right_ solution ( _*Rimshot*_ ), as the spikes retracted in the ground, opening the way. Leni could barely believe it. She had done it, and it was somewhat easy once she had put her mind into it. For once, Leni felt as if she could be... _proud_ about herself, and in a non-fashion-related way.

Toriel warmly clapped her hands at the Leni's accomplishement, kinda like a mother seeing her child riding their bike for the first time. "Splendid ! You did very good, Leni. We all knew you could do it. Now, let us continue." And she proceeded out of the room.

Before following her, the siblings went to Leni's side, and some gave her a bit of praising they felt she deserved. Their compliments made the happy-go-lucky girl beam with pride.

"Nice one, Leni." complimented Lincoln.

"Good on ya, sis." said Lana as she patted her back.

Only one didn't join the sibbling huddle, in the person of Lori. The eldest of the Louds looked at her little sister, who was smiling as though she had aced a math test, and couldn't help but compare this result ensuing from Toriel's attitude to what resulted of hers.

Pushing her siblings had always been her way to make them move, to show that there was a way right in front of them. It had risen tension, but it usually got the work done, and it's not like she couldn't offer praise when praise was due.

But looking back on Toriel's attitude, she saw a compassion and patience that made all the memories of her snarkily berating her siblings come back to her, and not making her feel so proud about them. Of course the goat woman had no idea what it was like to live with her ten siblings _every day_ , but... there were times, she now realized, that could have had a much better resolution if she had adopted Toriel's supportive attitude, instead of constantly calling them out on their mistakes, even mocking them for it.

Lori looked at her feet and rubbed her arm with a bit of shame. She still had much more things to learn about being the one in charge, things that may prove vital down here...

Unaware of her oldest sister's turmoil, Lisa watched her opposite in terms of intelligence being praised for such a simple task with a quiet 'tssk' and a roll of her eyes. But she nontheless let it be so. After all, a dog needed a pat on the head to understand that he had done a trick right. A basic but efficient way to teach, she reckoned.

She still had something to point out though. "You know, I now realize that the engraving on the walls was indeed a clue for this puzzle. The ' _path_ ' points out the ground parts painted in a lighter shade of purple, that go from where we came in to where we must go. As one can observe, they also reach the correct levers, and leave the erroneous one alone, concluding that in order to solve this puzzle, one must indeed ' _stay on the path_ '."

The siblings verified Lisa's theory, and 'oohed' when they found it to be exact. "Huh. Right as always, Lisa." said Lincoln, always in awe at her four-year-old sister's quick thinking.

"Elementary, my dear Lincoln." quoted Lisa, adjusting her glasses.

"So, what do you think this one does ?" Lynn induced, pointing at the only lever pointing upwards.

"I'm gonna guess, something we don't wanna know." honestly said Lincoln.

"Yeah, Linky's right. The way's open, no need to tempt fate, whoever he is." chirped Leni, still feeling giddy about her recent success.

The siblings nodded, Lori joining them, and began to walk out of the room. Meanwhile, Lynn made sure they all had her back turned on her, and chuckled quietly as she reached for the unmoved lever. But about millimetres from touching it, Lucy appeared and slapped her sister's hand away, waving her finger in a 'tut tut' fashion, while Lynn pouted and grumbled in disappointement. She nontheless departed with her roommate, forever cursed to wonder what this lever was meant to do...

Which was nothing by the way. The thing didn't even work. Really, someone should tell her...

* * *

In the next room, the Loud kids joined Toriel for their next lesson.

"Down here in the Underground, there are many monsters that may wish to harm you, and drag you into a Fight. Perhaps not with the vehemence or malice of the flower you've first met, but still."

"B-But why ?" dared to ask Lola, who despite not being above violence, questioned it when it didn't have any clear reason to be used.

Toriel shook her head and sighed. "It is better if you do not know this detail, simply that it is a foolish, rash, and sometime unintentionnal action from their part." She regained her smile soon enough. "But do not worry, as there is an efficient way to prevent this."

She stepped a bit on the right, and let the siblings see the path turning on the left towards another room, and in the middle stood a pale training dummy on a small wooden pole. The mannequin seemed to have known better days, with multiple makeshift repairs and a bit of stuffing escaping the back of its head.

The sight of the dummy ignited Lynn's logic, and brought a smirk to her face. "Oh, I get it. You're gonna train us to kick them in the shin and punch them in the snout if they get too close ! Man, finally some action !" said Lynn as she made a little 'one-two one-two' motion with her fists. The others, so used to the concept of fighting amongst themselves, didn't mind the idea of shaking loose.

Toriel, on the other hand, seemed appalled at the idea. "Oh goodness, no ! There is no need for any violence, my child. The right way to resolve a Fight is simply by amicably conversing !" grinned Mother Goat.

The Louds fell silent, and looked at Toriel as though she had declared not knowing what chocolate or comic books were. "Please tell me you're joking." said Lynn in a deadpan tone.

Toriel shook her head, still with a smile. "Oh no, I am very serious. To get through a Fight, all you have to do is to strike up a friendly conversation, and let me handle the rest." she said confidently. She then stepped closer to the dummy, patiently standing before the next entrance. "Go ahead, practice on this Dummy, and I will stop the fight once you're done."

The siblings looked at eachother, mulling the rather weird idea over. Not only the idea of practicing conversation to a dummy seemed to be a very silly thing to do, but Toriel's explanation about nicely talking their way out of a fight seemed... not idiotic per say, but a very naive ideal. Back on the surface, there were few fights the Loud children had been involved in that had required 'Talking' as a way to end them.

But then again, Toriel had this voice that seemed to say that she knew best. And she did, in a way. They knew next to nothing about this place, other than the fact that the Ruins' painters had only one big can of paint for the whole thing, and that the flora was not friendly, kind of a jerk even. So if Toriel said this was how things were done down here, complying seemed to be the safer option. After all, while in Rome, do as the Romans do.

"Well, I guess we can give it a shot." shrugged Lori. The others nodded, Lynn doing so in a grumpy manner, and approached the motionless dummy. Once they were close, however, a microscopic glint passed through the dummy's button eye, and the Louds felt the startling sensation of their SOULs being pulled out of their chests. A second later, the hearts were back.

 **A Fight had been engaged !**

* _You encounter the Dummy !_

Lincoln was a bit startled, but not as much as he had been before. He was starting to get used to this voice in his head... Maybe not the best way to say it.

"Yo bro, you okay ? Whispers in your noggin again ?" asked Luna.

"Yeah, but it just stated the obvious this time." answered Lincoln, scratching his chin.

"Did it say anything about those weird boxes ?" said Lana.

"Weird boxes ?" Lincoln followed his sisters' general eyesight, and saw what they were talking about.

In front of them, more particularly Lincoln, floated four orange panels, each one with something written in it. From left to right, were [FIGHT], [ACT], [ITEM], and [MERCY]. Lincoln's confusion and excitement only grew along this new information. This whole ordeal was getting stranger by the second, yet so familiar at the same time. Dare he say... he kinda liked it !

"'Mercy' ? Seems to be a bit of a wuss option." commented Lola.

"This whole thing is wuss material." grumbled Lynn. Lucy gave her a sympathetic pat on the back, knowing her pain and _pain itself_. Lynn appreciated it nontheless.

As the others stayed speechless on the matter, Luan decided to do the bright thing, and ask what she felt was the expert, in her own way of course. "Lincoln, any advice _out of the box_ ?" she giggled at her own pun. The others groaned and facepalmed. "Oh c'mon, at least give me some points for _crate_ -ivity ! Hahaha, get it ?"

"Well, to answer your 'pun' – if we can even call it that – I think these boxes represent what we can choose to do to get through this Fight. This may be kind of a 'turn-based' system, but I can't be sure." analyzed the boy with a thoughtful expression.

"I can't lie, this sounds weirdly familiar..." quipped Lori. Options to progress through fights, she knew she had seen that sort of thing before, but where ?

"That's great and all, but what do we do with it ?" Lana said as she scratched the back of her cap. "Which one do we choose ?"

Lincoln knew it was time to get strategic, and initiated a mini sibling counsil. "Well, let's weigh our options. Toriel told us violence is not the option, so FIGHT's out the window." Lynn's mood soured a little bit more at this, but remained silent. "We don't really need or have ITEMs here, and I have no idea what MERCY is here for."

"Quite. Begging for our lives to a dummy does seem, for a lack of a better expression, a very silly idea." acknowledged Lisa.

"Yeah, let's talk to it instead, that's the smart thing to do." mumbled Lynn, as she eyed with ire the mannequin itself, feeling as if it was taunting her to attack. She also couldn't help noticing that Lucy was giving him an odd look too. What was little Miss Ghoul and Gloom seeing in the pale ragged thing, Lynn could only wonder.

Lola counted the choices, and the choice became clear to the little princess. "So... that leaves only ACT, right ?" she said, her face gaining a grin. "Well, let's man up and do this thing !"

Lincoln nodded, and reached a hand to the second-to-the-right panel. Upon doing so, another black rectangle appeared, similar to the one of the SAVE File, only smaller. In it, no informations about the place they were in or the time they've been in the Underground, but a name, ' _Dummy_ '.

He selected the name, and saw options appearing. The first one, on the left, was there immediately, but the other one seemed a little blurry for an instant, as though loading, before appearing clearly. The left option read ' _Check_ ', and the right one read ' _Talk_ '. The choice should've been easy, but Lincoln once again felt curiosity coming from his little red SOUL getting the better of him. As such, he chose ' _Check_ ', and the voice took over again.

* _Dummy. ATK 0, DEF 0. Cotton heart, and a button eye. You are the apple of my eye. Lunas will know, and Mother knows best._

While Lincoln was getting used to it, he couldn't help but notice that the voice, despite its very neutral tone, had taken a bit of humourous tone. Was it warming up to him ? Was the voice a real person, or was he finally going coocoo for coco puffs ?

His train of thought was interrupted by Lily patting his shoulder and Lori's voice. "Earth to Lincoln, sisters waiting for you to come back on it." She crossed her arms as he shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Well, what did it say ?"

"And why did you choose Check ? I thought we were supposed to talk to him, not give him money." misinterpreted Leni, causing Lori to sigh.

Lincoln twiddled his thumbs a bit akwardly. He had acted on impulse again, this was getting a bit worrisome. Things were going smooth for now, but was he to do something reckless and get them all in danger, the boy would never forgive himself. "Sorry, it felt like the right thing to do. But anyway, what they said was..." And he parroted what he had just heard.

Luna blinked at the mention of her name, but grinned at the familiar lyrics. "Smooth stuff. Dunno who's this dude or dudette talking to ya, but I'm starting to like them."

"Yeah, but what were those stats at the beginning ? I mean, they make _zero_ sense, haha !" cracked Luan.

The Louds then felt their SOULs shining a little bit more and a strange lightness overtaking their bodies, as if they were expected to move around. But a reason never really came, as after a moment of the Dummy just standing there, gazing at them ( _maybe ?_ ), the feeling subsided and the boxes shone a bit brighter again.

The more Lori thought about all of this, the more potent the itching in her brain became. Then it finally dawned on her, as she snapped her fingers in realization. "A video game ! The stats, the options, checking your enemy, this whole thing is one big game mechanic from... that kind of games you like so much, Lincoln. Um, what's it called again ?"

"RPGs. 'Role Playing Games' for the curious." said Lincoln.

"Hmm, I think I heard about those." Luan scratched her chin. "Aren't those the games with that mute green elf guy ? Or that big barbarian that screams all the time ? Ooh, or that blonde guy with the really big sword, and who has never seen a comb in his life ?"

"Ah, crickets ! The only games I know how to play are with a guitar or a pair of drumsticks." said Luna, doing some air guitar as she reminisced her games of _Guitar Shredder_.

"And we only know how to play goofy racing games !" quipped Lola, her thoughts shared by her twin as well.

"Psh, I totes know how to play video games. I've got _Sweets Breaker_ on my phone !" chirped Leni.

At the last comment, Lincoln's face scrunched into one of impending wrath, but took a full minute to calm himself by repeating to himself that it was only Leni who had said that, she didn't know any better.

Lisa cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "If we are finished with those random bouts over trivial matter, perhaps we can focus back on the task at hand ?" said the small genius, small talk not quite being her forte.

The siblings blushed at this, and Lincoln obliged her sister's request. He pressed the ACT button again, and chose _Talk_ to engage in, what else, more small talk !

"Uh, hi !" Lincoln went first. "How's it, uh, going down here ?"

Silence.

"Um... do you like mud ? Or pets ?" tried Lana, not really sure what else to talk about.

More silence.

"What about some tunes ? Got any preferences ?" grinned Luna amicably.

Nothing.

"Do you have a name, good sir ?" curtly said Lola. "Can I call you Lewis ? You've got the face of a Lewis."

Lewis stayed silent still.

"Have you, like, been a clothing model for stars before ?" indulged with starry eyes.

"Leni, I'm afraid your assumption of the job this fellow could have exerced in the past falls into the Offensive Cliché category." Lisa chatised.

Zilch.

"Um, te habla español ?" attempted Lori as she remembered a few words Bobby had taught her.

Nada.

"Hey, what do you call a dummy's favourite treat ?" asked Luan, trying to ease the mood and break the ice. " _Cotton_ candy ! Hahaha, get it ?"

Not a word.

Luan's wide grin fell into a pout. "Man, usually they at least frown or groan at it."

"You are amongst friends, spirit. Tell me, what are your secrets ?" chanted Lucy as if in the middle of one of her séances.

No communicating agent was joined at this end of the line.

"Say, do you also think we look absolutely ridiculous trying to talk to you ?" delivered Lynn with a very bored expression, accompanied with a bit of snark.

No answer.

"Thanks, your silence is saying enough."

Lily took the final turn. "Poo-poo ?" asked the baby, indulging the ever-silent dummy into perhaps revealing his choices in litterature or in his likings in cuisine. She personally fancied carrot purée sided with delicalitely fried chicken morsels, accompanied with its rich tomato sauce.

But alas, silence still weighed the Louds' words. But it was broken when the mysterious voice spoke out, their words repeated by Lincoln the moment they were done.

* _Looks like this Dummy isn't ripe for conversation. Toriel seems happy with your actions. YOU'VE WON... absolutely nothing._

"Well, someone's a bit on the sarcastic side." commented Lori, her eyebrow raised.

"Sarcasm, main humour trait of those who have seen the darkness." added Lucy, startling her big sister in how quietly she had appeared at her side.

 **Fight over !**

As their SOULs retreated inside them once again, the siblings' attention was directed towards Toriel, who simply looked delighted by what she had seen. "Ah, you did very good, children ! Lynn, your attempt lacked a bit of warmth, but I am sure you will get the hang of it very soon !"

Lynn snorted, but said nothing, strangely not wanting to disappoint the woman, even if, in Lynn's opinion, she was teaching them cowardly methods to defend themselves.

"And Lisa, you... didn't really try. Why is that ?" said Toriel with a bit of worry as she bent to Lisa's level.

The aforementionned genius blinked at the woman's attention pinned on her. She had no idea why, but she couldn't bring herself to refute her like she would normally have wor asking such 'aimless questions unworthy of her fine time'. She instead felt somewhat... _ashamed_ to have disappointed her. "I-I just don't really like small talk. It's not my cup of tea, you see ?" she answered, with a shyness that shocked her siblings, and herself even more.

Toriel on the other hand, chuckled lightly and gently patted the toddler's head, who emitted a little squeak at the gesture. "Oh, it's quite alright, it's okay to feel shy. But you have such a fine and extended vocabulary, it would be a shame not to share it with others. Try it, you just might be surprised of what others could answer you. I heard you are yearning for discoveries, so you could treat all of this as a fun new experiment ! What do you say ?" she proposed with a smile that only got warmer as she spoke.

"That... does seem quite the interesting experiment to make, thank you." said Lisa, still in a little voice and with a shy demanour. She blushed as she felt Toriel's fuzzy paw ruffling her hair, not annoying her in the slightest, quite the contrary even.

Lori was the most jaw-slacked of all. In the four years she had known Lisa, she herself had never managed to pierce through Lisa's stoic façade like that. Heck, she was pretty sure her own **mother** had rarely been able to do so, and never with those results. How was that monster doing it ?

"I am glad to hear that. Now, follow me, children."

The kids and teens obeyed, and passed the doorway, though Lucy gave one last glance at the Dummy before doing so.

"Some are just shy, I guess." she mysteriously said, and carried on.

* * *

The next room was another large one going to the right. Nothing in front of them, except a strange pattern visible through the lighter purple tiles in the middle of the room. Some observed it intently, feeling they were doing the right thing as Toriel gave them a cheeky smile. "Ah, it looks like you might be able to solve the puzzle of this room by yourselves. Follow me."

"Y'know guys, I think we're really getting the hang of this." perked up Lincoln, following his siblings as they walked Toriel's trail through a tighter corridor.

"Lincoln's right. Those puzzles are actually beginning to be fun." said Lori, feeling a bit peckish despite everything.

"Yeah ! Flower jerk aside, this whole Underground gig is going pretty swell !" added Luna, also feeling in a good mood.

The others began to chat excitedly, feeling their general mood alleviating. It felt good that way, just talking and laughing like they usually would on the surface. Even Lynn felt her sour attitude go away, and smiled as she gave her bro a small punch in the shoulder. For the first time since they had encountered Flowey, they had the feeling that things were going to be just fine.

But while chatting, they did not notice something hopping on the path they were trekking on. As such, the siblings ended bumping into the passing form, and it made their SOULs jump into action.

 **Fight Engaged !**

Startled at first, they pulled themselves together and looked at their new opponent. It was a big white frog, only a little shorter than the twins, harbouring a slightly sleepy expression. The frog's true strange feature however, had to be what looked like a pair of eyes peeking through the shadow of its- _their_ shadow.

* _Froggit attacks !_ spoke the voice, which Lincoln repeated.

While the others felt a bit wary of the new creature eyeing them, Lana immediately melted for him. "Aww, he's like Hops' monster cousin ! Can we keep him ?" asked the tomboy excitedly.

"Your request might find difficulty to be accomplished, as monsters have proven through the exemples of our motherly guide and our treacherous foe to be creatures very capable of sentience, and thus would hardly be considered adequate for domestic adoption." tediously ranted Lisa.

Lana was silent for a moment. "So... yes or no ?"

"Never gonna happen." sternly said Lori.

"Dang it." sighed Lana.

Lincoln gave her a sympathetic pat on the back, then went for the [ACT] button. He once again thought of checking the monster first, and mouthed his internal voice's words after it spoke them.

* _Froggit. ATK 5, DEF 2. He only enjoys his attacks once. Life is hard that way for this enemy. Though not nearly as hard as the look Toriel is giving him._

"Wait, what was that last part ?" said Lola.

The Louds looked to their right, and saw that Toriel had indeed came back, and was currently glaring sternly at the smaller monster, the kind of glare that a mother would give if she was nearing 'Mama Bear' mode. The Froggit caught it soon enough, and shrunk under the woman's hardening gaze, bowing his head like a child being scowled. He wisely chose to show a clean pair of heels afterwards, the Louds eyeing his exit.

* _YOU WON ! But you've still obtained zilch in terms of EXP or GOLD._

' _EXP ? GOLD ?_ ' thought the boy questioningly.

 **Fight over.**

The monster gone, Toriel's frown morphed into her warm smile again. "Are you alright ? He hasn't harmed you, has he ?"

"Nah, you scared him before he could do anything." shrugged Lynn. She then grinned with renewed interest. "But man, that was one awesome death stare you gave him !"

"Yeah ! One glance at you, and little thing ran away like no tomorrow !" laughed Luna.

"You didn't even need any flaming effect or background, you kept all in the peepers. That glare was so good, I feel out of my league here." generously praised Lola, and it certainly held meaning when you knew her experience in the deadly glare domain.

Toriel could only chuckle at the children's excited compliments. They sure were a lively bunch. "Well, when you're the old lady that I am, you've picked up a few things along the way. Now, let's go back to that puzzle, shall we ?"

The siblings happily complied, but on their way, also caught sight of another inscription on the wall. No doubt being a clue, they read it through.

" _The west room contains the east room's blueprints. (Warning, scales not throughly respected. Blame it on Jerry)_."

"Blueprints ? But, like, there's only purple here ! Poor guy must colourdeaf or something." said the pretty, but confused blonde.

Lisa slapped her forehead. **Hard**. "Firstly, it's colour _blind_. Secondly, blueprints are a graphical representation of a project in construction." Seeing her lost gaze, Lisa decided to use an exemple, she felt, would ring close to home. "They are, in a way, similar to the drafts you design for your dresses."

The lone lightbulb inside Leni's brain was switched on. "Oooh, I get it ! Thanks Lisa !" she chirped in gratitude.

"Pleased to oblige. As for this clue, I don't think I need to enter into much details. This is simply a task of memory, and we've got plenty of that. This will be like a walk in the park. Thus, let us now catch up with Toriel."

They did so, and found Toriel waiting for them a little further ahead, staring at a much wider path surrounded with water. But a single, yet important detail made the Loud siblings stop dead in their tracks. The path was covered with **spikes.** _ **Very sharp spikes.**_

"It seems I may have spoken a little too soon." gulped Lisa with wide eyes.

"Welp, we better stay _sharp_ on this one. Otherwise, we'll be on more than _pins and needles_ soon, hahahaha !" guffawed the buck-toothed comedian.

"Well, a puzzle always has a solution, right ?" quipped Lincoln. "So let's man and woman up, and get through it !"

"Now you're talking !" cheered Lynn, ready for some brash action.

Lori frowned a little. Now _Lincoln_ was becoming a better source of inspiration than her.

While the children looked more or less ready to cross the pointy path, Toriel seemed more adamant about it. She knew that the human children had been smart enough to find the solution in the clue by themselves, and that pleased her. In a few rooms, they had proven to be very resourceful kids, which was a good thing. But for this puzzle, her thoughts turned to the age of some, the rash attitude of others, and the lack of focus of one in particular. The fact that there was a _baby_ among them didn't help either.

With an hesitant smile, she turned to face the kids' expectant faces. "Say, would you mind if I lead you through it ? It seems to be a tad dangerous for so many young ones."

They blinked owlishly at her demand. Lola crooked an eyebrow. "I thought you trusted us to get through it ourselves."

"Oh, I know that you've already found the answer to this puzzle. But..." Toriel fumbled a bit with her words, not desiring to wound their young pride. "But I'd feel safer if you let me lead us this time. If you were to cross this puzzle disorganized, and... bump into eachother too hard..." She did not finish that sentence, letting it sink in the siblings' minds.

"She's got a point there, dudes." nodded Luna worriedly. "I don't think I want to know what my spiked boots would feel like if the spikes were inside the sole instead of under it."

Lucy raised her hand. "I also vote for not getting impaled. Not even my vampire aspirations will save me if one gets through my heart." Her gruesome description made the other siblings take a safe step away from her.

"That would be one disturbing last _perfor_ mance. Get it ?"

Lana frowned heavily at her loony big sister. "Wow. Just... just wow."

Lori looked at Lily in her arms, who fidgeted uneasily as she watched the row of very pointy spikes. The eldest sighed, they were all raising good points. And remembering her close altercation with a cactus during one of Luan's Prankapocalypses, she wasn't feeling too hot about the possibility of tripping, and...

She shuddered. "All in agreement with Toriel's plan ?" she asked, getting a very expected unanimous 'Aye !' in return. "Okay people, then let's form an ordered row, youngest to oldest." She could feel her 'Sgt. Lori' spirit coming back to her, and she liked it.

"Lisa and Lola, upfront behind Toriel. Behind them, Lana and Lucy, then Lincoln and Lynn, followed by Luan and Luna, and finally Leni and me, with Lily holding onto me." Lily obeyed, and moved herself around her big sis' shoulders, firmly gripping her back like a baby koala. "Each of you use one hand to hold your partner, and use the other one to grip the shoulder of the sibling before you. As for Lisa and Lola, you hold onto Toriel's hands. _Nobody_ let go of anyone until we are through. Am I understood ?!"

"MA'AM, YES MA'AM !" saluted the siblings with puffed chests, even Lily in her own babbling way. Toriel blinked at the display, but chuckled all the same. A _very_ lively bunch indeed.

In a matter of seconds, the pairs were formed, making a straight chain of human wagons, with Toriel being the locomotive. The amused Goat Woman took the first step, and there was a bit of baited breath. But it all went away when the spikes retracted once her big fluffy foot was close enough. She proceeded slowly, carefully conducting the children through the spiky platform. The siblings followed obediently, making sure to turn each time Toriel did _at the exact spot she was turning_ , making their formation resemble a slithering animal from a certain old Louds stayed silent through the whole thing, afraid of breaking the focus of others if they peeped a word.

Finally, they reached the other end of the platform, but the little safe point being too small for 12 persons, they hurried to the next room.

* * *

Once there, the siblings let go of eachother, and let out a sigh of relief, followed by a joyful cheer.

"We did it !"

"Awesome !"

"A succesful endavour, I must admit."

"Yeah-ya !"

"Ga-buh !"

"Good job everyone." nodded Lori proudly. Not only did she feel more confident, but it warmed her heart a bit each time her siblings worked together to solve a problem. Cheesy thought, she knew, but what could you do ?

"Very well done, children." congratulated Toriel with her warm smile. "What you've displayed showed a very strong bond between you, something you can all be very proud of." The siblings found themsleves blushing and chuckling bashfully. But the mood turned a little tense when Toriel's smile grandly diminished. "You've all done excellent thus far, but I now must ask you to do something for me, something that may seem quite harsh." She paused and took a deep breath. "I want you all to walk to the end of the hall... without me." She bowed her head, and turned around. "Forgive me for this."

And before the Loud kids could call her back, she dashed down the corridor, disappearing in its darkness, which suddenly became more proeminent. The children huddled a little closer.

"Well... you heard Toriel." gulped Lori. "Down the hall we go."

As they walked uneasily and in silence at first, Lincoln couldn't help but smile wistfully. "Huh. Exploring a dark place together. Brings back memories, doesn't it ?" he said, referring to their most memorable black-out, earlier this year.

The others caught on, and chuckled a bit. Lori even began to act. "Ah ! What's that moaning ?"

Still walking, the others played along and gave false gasps. Lincoln was on cue, "Don't freak out, it's just the pipe settling."

Leni : "What's that scratching ?"

Lincoln : "Don't be scared, it's just Cliff the cat."

Lana even added a fake meow.

Lynn : "What is that smell ?"

Lincoln : "It's just Lily... with a full diaper."

Lily : "* _Giggle*_ Poo-poo."

The siblings laughed at their little act of one of their funniest family recordings. Not one of their best nights, but one of the funniest to remember.

With their morale high again, the Louds were already halfway there, still happily chatting. Lincoln felt just as happy. He couldn't even remember why they had been so stressed in the first place. But as he looked at his sisters, a reminder was quick to make itself known. Or rather, **himself** known.

When Lincoln looked back for a moment, he saw a shape tailing them. But in a flash, it disappeared in the ground. Lincoln let out a sharp gasp, alerting and stopping the others in their trek.

"What's wrong, bro ?" asked Lana.

Lincoln sweated a bit. "Uh, nothing !"

But the sisters weren't dupe. Most of them weren't, anyway. "Are you sure about that, Lincoln ?" said Lynn with a suspicious look.

Lincoln's eyes shifted from sister to sister, before relenting with a sigh. "Alright, I may have seen... something. But if I say what, you might panic."

"Dude, we can't keep secrets to one another." said Luna, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, tell us !" demanded Lola. She, along with Lana, began to chant. "Tell us ! Tell us ! Tell us !"

"Okay, okay ! But don't say I didn't warn you." said Lincoln, sighing. "Okay, so I might have seen something following us. I didn't quite catch who it was, but I noticed that it escaped through the ground, and it was kinda... **yellow.** " he finished with a tight smile.

The girls froze, wicked laughter echoing through their minds. Before they could argue to themselves that it might just be their brother's imagination, all siblings glanced behind them.

Just in time to see a **yellow shape** burrowing _himself_ in the ground again.

The Loud Pack turned forward again, eyes wide as can be. There was a moment of silence, until Lori spoke up.

"Hey, who feels like going faster ? I feel like going faster."

"Yep." "Uh-huh." "Totes works for me." were some of her younger siblings' quick and unanimous approvals.

The Louds picked up the pace, keeping their eyes in front of them, as none dared to look back and catch another peek of what could be their Devil in a flower costume. Surprisingly, they were managing to do so without pushing or falling on one another.

Soon, salvation was in view. "Guys, I see the exit !" pointed Lincoln. The end of the long purple hall was indeed near, with a large grey column on its left.

In their last effort, the Louds pratically sprinted to it, seeing the column as a safe point. Once they had attained it, they stopped to get their breath back, some panting more than the others.

"I feel the world weighing even more on my shoulders." panted Lucy, still in her Lucy tone, as she flopped to the ground like a mop.

"Good, *wheeze*, good one sis." said Luan, clenching her squirt flower with all she had.

Lynn was of course the less affected of all, and puffed her chest with bravery, in order to avoid her sisters and brother to see the slight nervosity drawn on her face. "Ha, we gave that sucker the slip. I'd like to see him try to get the jump on me." she gloated.

Something clapsed her shoulder. "Are you alright my child ?"

"EEEK !" Lynn yelped in a high-pitched tone. Her instincts then kicked in, as she hollered a "HIYA !", and tried to give the person behind her a spinning ninja kick. She was however stopped in her action by Luna and Lincoln. "Hey, what gives ?!"

"Chill, dudette. It's just Toriel." explained Luna.

Lynn took a better look, and indeed recognized the tall and furry monster, who looked a bit startled. "Oh." Lynn uttered, blushing scarlet as she felt very stupid. "S-Sorry Toriel."

Toriel chuckled, and patted the bashful teen on the head. "It's alright, no harm was done. Besides," she winked, "it'll take a bit more to get this old lady on a stretcher."

Lynn sniggered at Toriel's remark. The lady had a bit of spunk in her, something the jock could respect.

"Wait, how did you get here ?" asked Leni. "Did you teleport like Lucy ?"

"For the last time, I don't teleport." said Lucy, still muffled by the ground.

"Riiiiight." smirked Leni, patting her gloomy little sis' skull, much to the girl's annoyance.

"Oh none of that. See, I was simply hiding behind this pillar the whole time." explained Toriel. She then smiled warmly at all of the children's questioning gazes. "I never left the room, I was merely observing how would you handle this test. And it seems you've been doing just fine." The girls and boy cheered, apparently happy to have contented Toriel.

"Why did we do it though ?" asked Lori, balancing Lily who was squirming a bit.

"Ah, a very good question. See, I have taught you how to handle other monsters, and I have seen your teamwork. This, however, was a test for your independence."

"Like with Washington ?" chirped Leni naively.

Toriel blinked, but simply shook her head with a chuckle. "Yes, I suppose so. But your independence was important to verify, as for what I must ask you to do now. And that task is: to stay here without me."

"WHAT ?!" cried out the eleven siblings in unison. "But why ?!" further asked Lori, not quite feeling confortable with Toriel leaving them by themselves. Avoiding this situation was exactly **why** they had followed her in the first place !

Toriel sighed. "I'm afraid there are things I must take care of at once. Boring things, that certainly would bore you more than anything."

"B-but can't we still come ?" asked Lana with a little fearful whine in her voice. "N-not that I'm scared, but..."

"What if that mean Flowey comes back ?!" cried Lola, hugging her twin for support.

Toriel's face fell into sadness when she saw the trembling six year-olds, and immediately kneeled down to their level to hug them close. "Shh... you have nothing to fear. I'll come back soon, and in the meantime, your siblings will be with you. You know of his little game now, and as long as you help eachother, I'm positive that this flower will not get the best of you a second time." The goat woman smiled at their little hopeful eyes, and used her sleeve to dry their tears. "Be brave and believe, will you children ?"

Toriel's gentle demand renewed a fire inside the mud-glitter duo's hearts. They firmly nodded to the woman, then nuzzled the soft fur of her arms, much to the woman's amusement, as well as their siblings'.

As she brought herself back up, Toriel got an idea. "But if you still are scared, then I've got something to ease all your hearts. Here, take this." she gently said, as she produced a burly yellow device from her robes, and handed it to a very confused Lori.

"What's that ? Some kind of magic device ?" inquired Lori, looking at the device from every angle possible.

"Hmm, I remember having seen a resembling device in one of my documentaries." Lisa pursed her lips. She turned to Toriel. "This wouldn't happen to be a phone, would it ?"

"Absolutely !" Toriel perked up. "With this phone, you can contact me at any time. If you are in any kind of trouble, simply call me, and I'll immediately come to help you."

While still registering Toriel's instructions, Lori still looked befuddled at the item in her hand. "This is a phone ? But, where is the screen ? The apps ? How do you even text on this ?"

Toriel held a neutral smile, trying to find the words to break it to her. "Um, it... doesn't. This phone just... make calls."

"It was after all its primary function back when Antonio Mucci made the first prototype, and later when the first cellphones were made." added Lisa, then allowing herself a knowing grin. "I suppose they incidentally served as muscular improving tools as well."

"I thought it was Graham Bell who made the first phone ?" induced Lincoln, remembering the basics of his history lessons.

Lisa stiffened, her teeth clenched. "Mucci was robbed. Robbed, I tell you !" the mini-genius hollered, shaking her little fists to the ceiling.

"Such is a primal instinct of us, miserable creatures." recited Lucy.

"Cellphones were made to only call ?" exclaimed Lola in genuine confusion. "What a weird word we used to live in."

"But, I've already got a phone. Why don't you just give me your phone number ?" proposed Lori, reaching for her own device, but stopped when Toriel shook her head.

"It would not work. Human phones are not made with the same components that Monster phones have. Because of that, their signals cannot reach eachother." explained Toriel.

"Oh." simply said Lori. She shrugged, "Well, who am I to say no to another phone ?"

"Yeah, but you have to use it wisely, or else you'll be a big _phony_ ! Hahaha !" cracked Luan, as her siblings groaned.

"Great, now you're attacking Toriel with your lame puns !" accused Lynn rather harshly.

Luan gave a fake wince. "Oh come on you guys, I'm sure I've _got her goat_. Get it ?" she attempted.

But before they could refute the comedian-in-training, they heard a snorting sound, followed by quiet giggling. Looking at eachother and seeing that they were not the ones laughing, they turned back to Toriel. And to the horror of Luan's siblings, they saw Toriel shaking with the laughter she was trying to muffle.

"Pfft... Got your _goat_ , hehe. A _phony_ , * _snort_ *. Oh my, I'm sorry." Toriel giggled with repressed mirth.

Lincoln put on a comical betrayed expression. " _Et tu, lady goat ?_ " he whispered solemnly.

While the others were agape with horror, Luan's irised had tripled in size, pratically shining with hope, while her mouth was stuck into a little 'o' shape. "You... you like puns ?" she breathed with the tiniest of voices.

Toriel managed to get her laughter under control. "Oh, it's just a guilty pleasure of mine." She then gained a cheeky smile. "Say Luan, why did the skeleton want a friend ?"

Luan's pupils grew a little more. "I don't know. Why ?"

"Because... ( _Pause for comedic effect_ ) … he was feeling **BONE** -ly !" she answered with a giggle.

If Luan's smile could stretch to the ceiling, it would have even gone right through it. The happy comedian was pratically tearing up, squishing her cheeks with unbridled joy. She couldn't believe that she had just found a Pun Buddy in Toriel. There were monsters that liked bad puns, oh glorious day ! Drying up a tear, she chuckled at the pun. "G-Good one."

"Glad to hear it." nodded Toriel. She then turned to Lori, her face getting a bit more serious. "Lori, I trust in you the responsibility of your siblings. Do you accept it ?" Lori hesitated, then nodded firmly. "Good. I won't be too long, so all of you stay here please."

But before she could depart, Toriel heard a demanding coo, and turned to Lily in Lori's arms. The toddler was fidgeting in her elder sister's arms, babbling and making grabbing motions in Toriel's direction, as if she was trying to beckon Toriel to come closer.

With a chuckle, Toriel complied to the infant's demand. "Yes sweetie. Is there something you want to tell me ?"

But Lily didn't want to converse. Her target was now in reach, so like a little cheetah, Lily's pudgy claws grasped their prey. **Toriel's fluffy ear.**

Toriel, startled by the sudden motion, forcibly took a step forward. Lily, oblivious to the gasps thrown by her siblings, clutched the fuzzy apendage, giggling as she nuzzled its fur. She even began to suck on it.

"Lily ! You can't do that !" chatised Lincoln, though unable to take a truly angry tone against his baby sister.

"Yeah, you might get an _earful_ !" joked Luan.

"How does it taste ?" asked Leni. The others stared at her. "What ? Aren't you curious ?"

"I know I am." quipped Lana with interest.

"Omigosh, I am so sorry !" profusely apologized Lori. It wasn't the first time that Lily had sucked on things she shouldn't. She had herself found the toddler sucking on her phone multiple times.

But Toriel didn't seem mad at all. If anything, she was chuckling along Lily's giggling. "Oh, it's quite alright. I suppose my ears do look like cuddly toys." she admitted with a grin.

Toriel tenderly looked at the toddler playfully tugging her ear, as nostalgia invaded her. The last time she had done it was with her own little As-

" _Mommy... it hurts..._ "

She felt her blood freeze at the mere mention of the name, which was bringing some unfortunate memories. She tried very hard to push them back, but she still could feel them stinging the back of their mind with renewed vehemence.

" _Toriel... Toriel..._ TORIEL !"

The woman snapped back to reality, finding herself looking at eleven very concerned young faces. Even Lily had stopped playing with her ear.

"Toriel, are you alright ?" asked Lincoln.

"Yeah, you totally phased out on us, girl." voiced Luna. "You even looked like you were about to cry."

Toriel blinked, and rubbed her eyes. She indeed felt a bit of moisture, but she knew she couldn't talk of what she had lived through to such innocent minds. They needn't to worry about her own scars.

Resolved to do so, Toriel merely smiled. "I am fine children. I simply... lost track of things for an instant." she explained. The siblings weren't sure of her answer, but still decided to return her smile. Toriel gently reached for her ear back, tickled Lily's face with it, making the baby giggle, and brought herself back up straight. "Well, I am now going. Be good, alright ?"

"Yes Toriel !" said the siblings in unison. Toriel smiled at them once more, then departed, this time not to be followed.

"Welp, I guess we wait now." shrugged Lincoln. The others nodded, and took their seats, beginning to plan, chat, and find ways to pass the time in this empty hall.

* * *

Toriel passed through room to room, trying to forget what had just happened. She instead tried to focus of all the things she would get for them. That certainly was a lot of groceries to get, but nothing _she_ couldn't afford.

Still, other than the ear incident, Toriel thought of all the SOUL colours she had witnessed. Each of them, reminding her of the others, and their attitudes too. Then, she thought about the SOUL of the sole boy. It certainly resembled...

And during the battle, she could've sworn she had seen something floating at his side.

 _Maybe someone..._

She shook her head. The only ghost she knew of certainly wasn't into pranks, it must've been her silly imagination. Now, to focus on the real question.

Would they better fancy Cinammon, or Butterscotch ?

* * *

 **Author's Note : GOAT MOM ! So motherly adorable ! And huggable !**

 **Hope that was worth the wait everyone ! Even if this one is kinda shorter. Man, I got some great reviews. You guys are awesome ! Though I also got a lot of questions asking me which Route I was going to take, due to the introduction of a rather... ambiguous character of the UT universe. Will the Louds' quest be showered with friendship and kisses ? _Or will we enter a world of dust and blood, where no Lenis are to be spared ?!_**

 **Well, I can already reassure you, no MEGALOVANIA or Battle Against a True Hero. This will indeed be a Pacifist Route, but with one difference from many fanfics I've seen. _It will follow the WHOLE Pacifist Route._ What does that mean ? That's for you to guess...**

 **Anyway, next time, more exploring ! Tell me what you think with a good Review ! In the meantime, this is Superdimentio77, up and ready for more laughs and feels in the near future !**


	5. Ruins, Part 3

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 1 : Ruins**

 **Part 3 : Michigan Louds and the Lost Monster Ruins**

 **(A true Fictional story)**

 **Author's Note : Another huge chapter that could've been done in ten pages, but instead takes about 32 of them ! Well, you apparently like that, so what the heck ?**

 **I've got so many reviews, that's just awesome ! Know that I read every one of them, and I might, later on, devise a way to answer them all. Let me answer the general ones though.**

 **Yes, Papyrus and Sans will be there. What Undertale adventure would that be without Loud Cinammon Roll, and punny edgy potato couch. As for Gaster... he won't be important, but he will be mentionned. He could even make an appearance, who knows...**

 **As for the Route questions again, NO GENOCIDE ! It is an important part of Undertale, I concede you that, but there is no need to bring any of that stuff here, not even by some convulted way. Plus, I just can't bare subjecting the children to more than what I have already in store for them. After all...**

 _ **Pacifist Route doesn't mean NOBODY can die at some point.**_

 **But enough edginess for now ! Let's just hope that I can keep my working determination well and alive, and get on with this chapter. Also, do not hesitate to put on some ambiance by using the Undertale OST on Youtube at the right moments. While very superficial for most of the story, it's recommended for the boss fights. I'll even indicate the music names for those who do not know the tracks' names.**

 **Loud House and Undertale belong to their respective owners. Enjoy !**

* * *

Back to our young heroes, all were partaking into some activities of their own. Lisa was drafting the pillar before her for future research references, Lola was busy adjusting her make-up ( _you'd be surprised how much make-up she could fit under that dress_ ), and Lana was looking at the dirt between the purple bricks and... tasting it.

"Hmm... tastes like blueberries for some reason." commented Lana like a wine expert.

Lucy was sitting against the pillar, thinking about the new collection of poems this place would no doubt give her the inspiration to create, Lynn was bouncing her rubber ball on a wall with the most bored of expressions, and Luan was brainstorming some good puns she'd share with Toriel later. The buck-toothed comedian was almost bouncing with glee, still on cloud nine about discovering that Mother Goat liked puns. Leni was entertaining Lily... or was Lily entertaining Leni ? It was hard to tell at times.

And as for Luna, Lori, and Lincoln, they were busy conversing to eachother. Lincoln stopped however, when he noticed the camera coming back, and slipped away from the chatting duo. "Oh, glad to see you're back." waved the boy enthusiastically. "Now, I don't know if it's been more than a week or barely a minute since you've last seen us, but _we_ have been waiting here for at least 30 minutes. We're doing fine for now, no monster has come to bother us, and Flowey _(Lincoln shivered)_ , is still on the loose, hopefully very far away. So to wait until Toriel comes back, me and my two big sisters have been busy talking about... well, all the crazy stuff that has been happening for the last hour." He sighed tiredly, rubbing his eyelids. "There is still a lot to discuss, and even if we don't outright show it, we're all a little scared. Firstly about finding a way home, and secondly about what else we're gonna encounter." He sighed again, but this time with a calmer breath. "But... I guess that it's a bit too soon to give up. I'm sure that as long as we stick together, we can get through it. Don't you agree ?" The camera nodded, and Lincoln smiled. "Then as the voice in my head told me, I'm gonna stay _determined_..."

"Lincoln ! Quit speaking through the wall, and come back here !" called the eldest of the Loud children. "We have other topics we litteraly need to discuss !"

Lincoln stopped his speech, and ran back to his sisters. "Coming !" He sat back next to Luna. "Well, what's next on the list ?"

"Lori and I were going over that weird little sparkle you've touched earlier." answered the purple rocker. "Especially those weird words and numbers it showed."

Lori nodded, scratching her cortex to get a proper image of the memory in her mind. "That one in the top right corner, '0:12'. It looked like... some sort of time recording. Combine that with the fact it was dubbed a SAVE file..."

"It may've been showing us the total time we've been in here." Lincoln snapped his fingers, indicating that he was following his sister's reasoning. "I guess that's something we'll have to verify if we find more of those. And I think we'll do, because the words next to it were describing a place. In games, it's usually to remind you where you'll come back."

"Yeah, but we still don't have any idea how all of this works." sighed Lori. "We can't really play the 'That's just silly' card anymore, for obvious reasons, so there is bound to be an explanation of why it's there, what does it do, and how do we make it do it."

"That, and something to explain that ' _LV1_ ' stuff. What's _LV_ supposed to mean ?" wondered Luna, looking in her bro's direction.

"Hmm... _Level_ , maybe ?" guessed Lincoln with a shrug. The idea nontheless brought a thought back to him. "That reminds me, back with that Frog guy, when the Fight was over, that strange voice told me something about _Gold_ and _EXP_ , the latter usually meaning _Experience Points_ in games. The more you get, the stronger you become. But to get EXP, you're normally supposed to... beat your opponents. Yet Toriel told us the best way to advance is to NOT fight. But then we... it's... and... oh, my brain hurts." moaned the boy, prompting Luna to give him a gentle pat on the head.

Lori rubbed her own temples. "Mine too, Lincoln. But we gotta go still. Let's talk more about that voice in your head."

Lincoln moaned again. "Ah, this again ?"

"YES, this again !" she countered.

Meanwhile, apart from the siblings entertaining themselves, Lynn kept frowning at the purple wall in front of her, as she bounced her lucky tennis ball on it. The motion was swift, yet mechanical, and that just didn't feel right to the sportive brunette. Each bounce made her brow lower a bit more in irritation, to the point that she was outright glaring at a brick like it had insulted her baseball skills. Worse, she could feel numbness beginning to overcome her body, and the traitorous serie of apendages was accepting it !

But it wasn't until the moment that the thought ' _What if I took a little nap ?_ ' passed through her head that Lynn's senses flared up with the accumulated irking boredom.

" _UUURRGH, I can't take this anymore !_ " hollered the jock, pratically tearing her hair off. Her shout startled all the other members of the Loud group. "If I have to wait one more minute in this stupid hall, looking at its stupid walls, I'm gonna go insane !"

"Woah, calm down, it has not even been a _hall_ hour, hahaha !" laughed Luan.

Lynn's eyes became wide with anger, and she quickly bumped noses with the comedian. "I will knock those braced teeth out, and make you eat them." she breathed heatedily, prompting Luan, no longer laughing, to quickly pedal away from her least younger sister.

Lori grunted in annoyance. Now was not the time for a tantrum, especially from someone as hard-headed as the thirteen year-old jock. "Lynn, chill. As Luan said, we've only been here for thirty minutes. You litteraly wait longer during your visits in Dr. Lorenzo's waiting room."

"One, I'm used to his waiting room. Two, there are sport magazines. Three, I know there is nothing waiting for me elsewhere." counted down Lynn with a slight snarl. She then reamorced her countdown. "One, brand new place. Two, nothing else than this ball to distract myself. And three, we are in a kingdom of **monsters**. Weird stuff and people just waiting outside those walls, and we're just sitting here like a bunch of idiots !"

"Urgh, haven't you been listening ?" called out Lola as she closed her compact. "It's not safe out there ! Toriel said so !"

"So what ?" grumbled Lynn, crossing her arms.

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "So, she knows this place better than we do, which isn't hard, since we know nothing of it !" he exclaimed, not caring about the sour look he was getting from his sport buddy. "Normally, I'm all for exploring and stuff, but if there is a safer option here, maybe it's best that we suck it up, and just take it."

"Yeah, I don't wanna meet that meanie flower again." said Leni, trembling as she remembered the nefarious plant's wicked laughter. "Besides, imagine what could be, like, waiting for us. Maybe... um... a flame guy! Tied in a rope ! With spats !"

"If I'm ever to witness that, then I cannot promise that my already wounded sanity will be preserved." commented Lisa. Just because monsters existed didn't mean that she had to believe in every strange fantasy coming off the top of Leni's greatly catatonic mind.

"But guys, come oooon ! I'm so bored I'm considering taking a nap ! A NAP !" the Loud athlete insisted.

"Ah, don't be like that, sis." said Lana as she readjusted her cap. "I mean sure, it is kinda boring here, but I'm sure Toriel's gonna come back any minute. And on the way, maybe we'll meet more of Hops' cousins !" the tomboy giggled excitedly.

"That does sound pretty rad." grinned Luna, exchanging a high-five with her little sister. "Besides, if there was any problem, Furry T. would have called us by now."

Lincoln arched an eyebrow. "'Furry T.' ?"

Luna pouted in thought. "Yeah, maybe that nickname's a bit weak. I'll work on it."

Lori nodded, and approached her grumbling sibling. "See Lynn ? Until there is a good reason for us to move, forget exiting this room. And don't even think about going there alone, or you'll be the one at the bad end of a wedgie for once."

Lynn flinched a little, but still chose to be quietly defiant. "Control freak." she mumbled.

The eyes of the oldest Loud present widened with shock, then tightened with anger. "What was that, twerpette ?"

But before Lynn could worsen the situation, a ringing sound echoed, startling the siblings a bit. Baby Lily pointed out the source, as she waddled to her big sister's legs, and tugged on her brown shorts. The sound then became clear to Lori, and she sorted her newly acquired phone. Fidgeting a bit with the buttons, she pressed the green one, and a familiar voice crackled through the receiver.

"Hello children. It's me, Toriel. Is everything alright ?" asked the woman with a warm tone.

The Louds perked up at the voice, and got closer to answer more or less joyfully. Even Lynn said yes, but still with a sulky tone.

"Hehe, I'm glad." chuckled Toriel, before her voice became less joyful. "Unfortunately I bring some news that may upset you. I am facing a slight problem here, something that has greatly delayed me. As such, it could be a while longer before I am to fetch you, children. I am deeply sorry."

Lynn didn't lose any time in expriming her annoyance in a loud cry of frustration, that was thankfully muffled by the combined efforts of Luan and Lucy.

"What's the problem ?" asked Lincoln, eager to help.

"You see, it's that little white dog. He's quite the regular here, and is always up for some benign mischief. I know the little darling can't help it, so I let him do as he pleases." As she spoke, a little 'yip yip !' echoed in the background. "Now though, he's snatched one of my bags of groceries, and he refuses to give them back to me." There was a bit of shuffling, as well as a cute growling sound. Toriel grunted in effort to get back her bag, then sighed in resignation. "I may have to go all the way back to the supplier."

"Wait, maybe you don't !" quipped Lana as she grabbed the phone from an indignant Lori. "Our dog Charles is like that sometimes, and there's a trick I use to make him let go. Try scratching his chest in circles, then go with your two hands along his neck to end behind his ears, and pet like you've never pet before ! Should work like a charm."

"Hmm, I suppose I can try. Thank you for your advice, Lana." Toriel praised, making Lana beam with pride. "In the meantime, are you all truly doing alright ?"

"Well, everyone's doing swell. Though some of us _are_ getting a bit bored." commented Luna.

"Not me." said Lucy suddenly, making Luna yelp. "A shady hall, empty as can be. The practical example of what life can truly be."

"...My my, you've certainly got a way with words. You're a book devourer as well, aren't you, Lucy ?" said Toriel warmly.

Lucy's expression brightened a bit, and her cheeks flushed. _She remembered her existence_...

"Well, I trust that you'll find a way to occupy yourselves. Besides, if things come to the worst, I should be back in barely an hour. But if there is anything wrong, know that I'll be there immediately. I hope you understand, children. Be good, alright ?"

"Yes Toriel, bye !" chorused the siblings all at once. Toriel chuckled, then hung up with a ' _Click_ '.

The moment she did, Lynn pratically howled with tired ire. "One hour ?! I can't wait this long ! I'll be going nuts in five minutes, tops !"

"Lynn, stop being such a baby !" scolded Lori. She briefly turned to her youngest sister. "No offense, Lily." The baby blabbered that it was okay, so Lori continued her rant to the freckled athlete. "Seriously, we are not risking everyone's safety just because **you** are bored !"

"What's wrong with a little exploration ? What are you all so afraid of ?!" said Lynn with a snarl.

Lori, now _very_ irritated, rubbed her eyelids profusely, litteraly trying to not blow up. "Oh, I don't know, let me see if I find anything. A completely unknown realm, Flowey, possible traps waiting for us, Flowey, other monsters that could attack us, _**Flowey**_ !" she stressed with a sharp sarcastic tone, that did NOT please Lynn.

"Why are you being a sissy ?!"

" **I** am being your leader !"

Lynn then crossed her arms, rolled her eyes with a sneer, and scoffed in a cold tone, "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

Those four words were enough for Lori's expression to change from fury to shock... to pain. The eldest blonde looked genuinely hurt by Lynn's comment, and fell shamefully silent.

"LYNN ! That was totes not nice !" yelled Leni in a rare bout of anger, as she came to her older sister's side to comfort her.

"I must agree with our mutual parent here, your argument was thoroughly uncalled for." frowned Lisa.

"Yeah dude, it's not because you're bored that you must be a jerk about it." said Luna.

"Not cool, Lynn." coolly added Lucy.

"Yeah !" said Lola.

Lynn looked at the frowning faces of her siblings, even Lincoln's and Lily's. Guilt passed through her face for a moment, before it morphed back to annoyance. "I'm cranky when I'm bored, so bite me !"

Lana rolled up her sleeves and advanced, before being stopped by Lincoln, who wagged a finger, signaling it was not the time to make things worst. Lana recluantly nodded.

A moment passed, and Lynn's annoyed demanour became progressively more regretful. She turned to the quiet Lori, who was looking at the floor. "Look, I-I'm sorry Lori. It's just that... you know me ! If I'm contained for too long, I struggle to get free ! I can't help it." And speaking of struggle...

* _Growl_ *

Lynn's hands reflectively went to her stomach, as she gave out another groan. "Great, now I'm hungry too."

* _ **GROOOWL !**_ _*_

Lynn blinked at the beastly growling that had just echoed, but got her answer when the siblings began to hold their stomachs as well. She couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "And I'm not alone, apparently."

"Oooh, my tummy's feeling lonely." moaned Leni.

"Well, it is worth mentionning that we've skipped breakfast, and are probably going on the adequate time for lunch." commented Lisa, trying to muffle her own gastric demands.

"I'm soooo craving for a burger rignt now." blissfully groaned Lincoln.

"Yeaaah..." drooled Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lincoln, Lana, Lola, and Lisa, imagining a meat patty cooked just the way they liked it, with melted cheddar, rich salad, sauces of their likings, and the whole thing sandwiched between two golden and tender buns...

( _Darn, now I'm getting hungry too !_ )

As those siblings were drooling New Niagara Falls, Lucy imagined some blood pudding herself, while Lori, coming out of her shy state, dreamed of a rich plate of sushis, makis, and tender pieces of sashimi. But while that was going on, baby Lily could feel her own tummy greedily growling. She didn't like that, so she teared up, sniffled, and let out a wail of distress.

"WAAAAAAAAH !" sobbed Lily.

This immediately snapped the Loud siblings out of their reverie. Luan picked up Lily, trying to calm her down with a silly face, but the infant's cries only got harder. "Guys, I think we have a _cry_ of distress here. Hehe- ouch ! Lily, no slappies !"

"Does anyone have food on her ?" asked Lincoln urgently. He only got silence and nervous looks as answers. "No one ?!"

"I had to choose the _one_ day we get into this great conundrum to forget my emergency rations." facepalmed Lisa.

"What do we do now ?!" panicked Lincoln, as Lily's sobbing got even louder.

It was then that Lori finally broke her silence with a sigh and a resolved look. "Well, looks like it had to be so. Let's go forward."

Her sisters and brother gasped, even Lily stopped crying, hiccuping instead. "But Lori, what about what Toriel told us ?" inquired Lola.

"I know what she said, but I am not letting my baby sister starve." Lori argued back, looking at the misty-eyed and red-faced Lily. "The three rules still apply, so we go together. Everyone stay on the lookout for that no-good weed." The others straightened up, and she smiled. "C'mon people, let's go find some grub."

"YEAH !" the Louds cheered, excited by both the food and the new places to visit.

However, before they could leave, Lori stopped them. "Wait ! Lynn, could you come here, please ?"

Lynn arched an eyebrow, but complied to Lori's wish.

"Could you give me your arm for a moment ?" asked Lori, still in an even tone.

"Uh, sure. But why for- YEOWCH !" yelped Lynn, as Lori offered to the arm in her hand a vicious arm-twister. Lynn hissed to herself as she got her arm back, trying to rub the pain away.

Lori, on the other hand, grinned contently, took back Lily from Luan, and slowly went to the next entrance. "There, now we can go."

The other siblings blinked at what they had witnessed, then all smiled knowingly as they followed her.

"Our big sister's back." chuckled Lincoln.

* * *

The siblings entered the next room, which was of course way smaller than the hall they'd been in. No puzzle seemed to be in view, only more red leaves and two other ways out, one directly on their left, and another down on the right. They began to think of which way to take, but Lana interrupted them.

"Wait guys, I'm getting something." called the little dirt monkey, as she sniffed the air and ground with all of her inner animal. Her eyes widened, and her head snapped to the left. "There is food that way ! I can smell it !"

With their stomachs taking over their minds, the Loud kids did not need to be asked twice, and rushed into the room.

* * *

The room was much smaller, water filtering on its sides, and a wall of ivy opposing them. What really caught their attention, was what was standing inside a square of red leaves. Indeed, resting on a pedestal, was a bowl full of-

"CANDY !" hollered the kids in joy. They eyed the dozens of colourful sweets, their mouths idly watering.

"Aw man, there must be enough for all of us to get a mouthful each !" excitedly analysed Lincoln.

"That is so _sweet_ !" exclaimed Luan. She blanked, then laughed. "Wow, I didn't even plan that one."

"Well, what're we waiting for ? Let's dig in !" endorsed Luna. The siblings wholeheartedly agreed, and moved towards the bowl, ready to take a fistful of delicious sugary treats.

"Wait !" Lisa stopped them, much to their hungry and voiced annoyance. The genius pointed at her finding. "Something has been written down on the pedestal." She approached the small column, and read for the group.

" _Please, take ONE piece of candy._ "

This reading of course got a lot of groans and complaints from the humans.

"One measly candy ?! Are you for real right now ?!" raged Lynn.

"I'm all for diets and stuff, but we're litteraly starving here !" huffed Lori, as she could feel Lily in her arms being just as grumpy about it.

Lola rolled her eyes, and approached the bowl hautingly. "Well, sorry whoever-wrote-this, but a princess needs her fill of sugar." The pink-clad blonde reached for the bowl, and took a handful of sweets. But as she admired her prize, a strange feeling of dread began to overcome her.

 _She could feel her sin crawling on her back..._

She hastily put the candy back, and the feeling subsided. She laughed nervously, trying to shake that strange experience off. "Y'know what ? Maybe we should apply to the rule. Don't want to get cavities, or anything."

Lincoln tilted his head. What just happened ? He decided to find out by grabbing multiple sweets as well. Immediately, the same creepling dread took him, as if the crime itself was crawling like a big insect on his back. And the voice in his head wasn't helping the matter.

* _You rightfully feel like the scum of the Earth..._

Lincoln put the sweets back as fast as his sister. Tentatively, he pinched one. He felt nothing. He then tried to take another one, and the feeling immediately tickled down his neck again. So in the end, he wisefully only took one. "Girls, I think it's best for us if we obey this one." he advised.

The girls didn't feel like arguing when they saw both of Lola and Lincoln's fretful eyes, but still groaned in disappointement. In the end, each had a piece of candy in their hands, looking at their only food with crestfallen expressions.

"This stinks." Leni commented simply.

"Hunger is a blight many are cursed by." recited Lucy, before her tone became a tad whiny. "But it's a curse I don't wanna be part of right now."

"Worst is, being food from a very foreign world, we cannot even say if it'll be good, whether for our tastebuds or for our digestive system." uttered Lisa dryly, beginning her usual 'What could go wrong' rant. "It could be poisonnous, give us rashes, make us vomit for hours..."

"I don't care if it makes my body swell up like a balloon, I'm eating it." Lynn answered just as dryly. Before anyone could stop her, she popped the round sweet in her mouth. Her eyes widened as she began to suck on it, and a smile appeared on her freckled face. "Hey, that one's cherry-flavoured ! My favourite !"

The siblings blinked at Lynn's bright expression. Curiosity got the better of the sole boy among them, and he mimicked his sister's action, down right to the widening eyes. "Raspberry ! So good !" he exclaimed, letting the fruity flavour rolling off his tongue.

Seeing the double happy result, the sisters decided to attempt the experience as well. And the pattern was of course repeated.

"Ah, sweet ! Mine's blackberry !" cheered Luna with her rock pose.

"Black Licorice. Darkness' own sweetness, and Edwin's favourite." monotoned Lucy.

"The Granny Smith flavouring of my saccharose sphere is much appreciated." analyzed Lisa.

"Eeee, lychee ! It's like, my bestest flavour ever !" squealed Leni.

"Get out ! Blueberry !" Lori joyfully gasped.

"Mmm, pink grapefruit ! The true taste for a princess such as I !" beamed Lola with pride.

"And mine's booger-flavoured !" added Lana with her own toothy smile, making her twin wince with disgust, before returning to her fruity paradise.

"Mine's pretty easy to guess ! I go _bananas_ for it, hahaha !" cracked Luan, the joy of having this taste in her mouth adding even more peppiness to her tone.

"Poo-poo !" clapped Lily.

( _Her sweet tasted like cranberry by the way. It was not "poo-poo" flavoured. Just thought I'd leave it there._ )

The symphony of contented sighs and pieces of candy being sucked kept going for a full minute. And when it stopped by them finally gulping the treats down, another sensation vanished as well.

"Check it out, my stomach's not growling anymore !" noted Lynn excitedly.

"Mine isn't either !" supported Lana.

"This is beyond fascinating." said Lisa with a rare excitement that seemed to just keep coming down here. "How is it possible that pieces of candy could taste like our favoured aromas, and be able to fulfill our abdomen capacities ?"

"Magic ?" attempted Lincoln as he rubbed his stomach.

Once again, Lisa tried to rebut, but finding herself unable for the moment, she simply frowned, a little harder than last time. "Sure, why not ?" she parroted.

"Well, at least now Lily's full." said Lori. She then adressed the baby with her silly voice. "Do you have a full tummy Lily ? Do you ?"

"Full tammy !" giggled the baby with her adorable innocence. The siblings awwed at the little ball of sunshine.

"That's that then. Let's go back !" rallied Lincoln. The others approved, and moved out.

* * *

Back into the larger room, the Louds were ready to weigh their options, with Lynn obviously wanting to go explore more, and Lori to return to the safe hall now that their stomachs were not digesting themselves. But before the cacophony of arguments could begin...

* _Ring, ring !_ *

Recognizing the sound instantly, Lori took out her phone again and unconciously pressed the green button. It was obviously Toriel, suprisingly calling again already.

"Hello children, it's me again !" said Toriel in a happier voice than during the last call. "Lana, I must commend you for your advice. The little dog was quick to contently flee the premises once I scratched both of his ears. Thank you very much."

"Aww, 'twas nothing. Just an old trick one guy at the park taught me." said Lana, bashfully chuckling.

Toriel giggled at the obvious pride in the small blonde's voice. "Well, I suppose that does shorten my original planning by quite a bit. I guess you won't have to stay too long in the hall after all, hee hee."

All the siblings' expressions comically morphed into 'We're so busted !' ones. An eerie silence echoed in the room.

"You... are still in the hall, yes ?" inquired Toriel, her voice losing a bit of her warmth.

 _Wow, I think I've just heard a pin drop somewhere in the next town._

Toriel's voice got more cautious. "Lori, you **are** all waiting in the hall, aren't you ?"

"Hehehe..." Lori chuckled very nervously, tugging on her blue dress' collar. "Define 'in the hall'."

"Lori..." Toriel said in a motherly warning tone. It was more than enough for Lori to crack.

"Okay, we... might have gone out. But only for a little bit, we were there when you called, but then Lynn was bored, and then we got hungry, and the candies, and Lily crying, and I'm so sorry !" she blabbered all at once, genuinely regretful about breaking the Mother Goat's trust.

Another moment of tense silence, nobody daring to gulp down the anxiety bulging in their throats. Finally, Toriel sighed, but not angrily, more with disappointement. _And towards herself_. "I suppose it could not be helped. Asking of you to wait for so long was perhaps a tad too harsh for so many active children such as you." she mumbled a bit absentmindedly.

"I'm sorry." repeated Lori, still as remorseful.

"I'm sorry too !" quipped Lynn. "I was the one who suggested we explored. I just can't stand being bored, so I pushed Lori to take that decision."

"I understand you two, no need for excuses." cut Toriel, her voice warm again, with a layer of carefulness added on top. "Children, I won't be there for at least another half-hour. So in the meantime, if waiting in a hall proves too much... you can try going forward. My home is along the only way possible, just before you reach a grand opening to the old city." Her voice's worry increased. "Just, be careful, alright ? If you have any problem, you just have to call me, and I'll whisk away to your position. Be kind to those you meet, but i-if something goes wrong, do not hesitate to escape, do you understand ?"

The siblings couldn't help but mellow at the urgency of Toriel's voice. The poor woman was so worried about them, it made them feel valued. Well, they were certainly not letting the woman down. So with smiles and nods to eachother, they uttered as one, "YOU CAN COUNT ON US !"

Toriel sighed in relief, and chuckled at the kids' determination. "Well, I suppose it's alright then. I'll see you in half an hour, whether at my house or on the way. See you later, and be nice to eachother."

"Yes mom !" said Leni out of the blue. She immediately realized her mistake, and slapped a hand against her mouth. The others stiffened as they heard what resembled a choked gasp from Toriel's end.

"D-Did you just call me... mom ?" slowly articulated Toriel, the shuffling of fabric indicating that she was gently gripping her heart.

"Oh... oh no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to !" attemped Leni, worried that she had done something stupid. Her words slowly morphed into whimpers. "I'm sorry, I said something dumb again..."

"Leni, it's... alright." soothed Toriel, her voice still shaking a bit. With a quiet gulp, and an uncertain tone. "Well, would that please you, children ? To call me... 'mother' ?"

The Loud kids kept silent again. What could they say to that ? They already had a mother ! But thinking about it, that monster... she was like their mother in so many ways ! Worried for their well-being, always warm and gentle, yet stern when she needed to, and her approval meaning so much to them. They had no doubt that if one of them scrapped their knees, not only would she heal it with her magic powers, she would then kiss it to make the sadness all go away ! So even if they were not related... she was sort of a mom.

It was Luna who worked up the courage to speak again. "Well, yeah. I mean, might be a wee bit sudden, we've known eachother for, what, an hour ? But in a way, you are a... um..." Luna hesitated, scratching her short brown hair to find the best way to put it. But then, in a flash resembling the one of a spotlight at a Mick Swagger concert, the words appeared crystal clear in the rocker's mind, creating the perfect nickname. " _Goat Mom_ ! Yeah, you're a Goat Mom, always ready to help children in need. Toriel to the world, Tori to friends, and Goat Mom for the kiddies."

"Hmm, I kinda like it !" bounced Lana.

"Fittingly adequate, for sure." lisped Lisa with a smile.

"Neat." scarcely said Lucy with a thumbs up.

"Well, it's certainly a nice _goat-_ to nickname !" joked Luan, earning her usual share of unamused groans.

"Yay, Goat Mom !" cheered Leni, no longer bummed out.

The kids let out cheers for their monster guide's new affiliation. But they stopped however, when they heard a choked sob crackle through the receiver, piquing their interest. "Um, Toriel ? Goat Mom, are you okay ?" asked Lincoln, kinda worried for the woman.

"W-What ?" replied Toriel, sounding overwhelmed with either sadness or joy. Maybe both, the kids couldn't tell. But with the sound of a sleeve wiping tears off one's face, Toriel spoke with a much more controlled voice, though still brimming with moved pride. "Oh, I'm sorry. I-It's a wonderful nickname you've created, you can call me however you feel is best. Now, I have to go. Be good, children."

"YES GOAT MOM !" answered the Loud Kids all at once, prompting another tearful squeal of happiness from the monster, before she hung up. "What was that all about ?" asked Lynn, a bit confused at Toriel's bouts of emotivity.

"Eh, maybe she's sensitive." shrugged Lola, taking a pose. "After all, who wouldn't be crying of joy knowing they're being accepted by someone like me ?"

"Yeah, they'd weep alright." mocked Lana, earning a dark glare from her twin. She ignored it, and concentrated her focus on the piles of red crispy leaves close to them. "More leaves !"

"Lana, wait !" yelled Lori, failing to grab the girl in overalls as she pounced in the one pile on her right, close to the wall opposite to the exit delivering to another unknown room. The leaves flew up when the little blonde landed in them, giggling as she felt the leaves crunching under her whole body as she rolled onto them.

The fun she was having was enough to flare up the interest of some of her siblings. First, Lincoln and Lynn rammed into Lana's pile, adding onto the laughing factor. Then, Luna and Luan joined in the fun, amassing leaves to then chuck them on their younger siblings, who immediately countered the move with same 'leaf-balls'.

Lori groaned at their childish antics. "Guys, this is so not the time !" she berated, trying to get the guffawing girls and boy under control.

"But Lori, those leaves are so pretty !" said Leni as she approached a smaller pile closer to them, admiring the shiny crimson hue of the leaves. "Hey Lola, come here ! I'll add something nice to your tiara !"

"Um, okay." said Lola, doubt plaguing her voice. She sat next to the blonde fashionista, and let her do her magic, expertly picking leaves and carefully fidgeting with the princess' prized tiara. When she was done, Lola sorted her compact mirror to see the result. Her eyes widened, but certainly not in horror. It seemed that Leni had fit leaves through the loops of her tiara, darker ones on the sides, lightening up until they reach the flaring red one in the middle. Lola grinned at her tiara's autumn modification. "Not bad, not bad at all." she complimented, making Leni smile at a job well done.

As for Lucy, Lisa, and Lily, they joined the fashion-lovers duo in their pile, with Lily toddling through the leaves, joyfully cooing all the way, and Lucy laying down on the micro-field of leaves, inert as she enjoyed resting among the decaying rests of nature. _Always ready for a laugh that Lucy._ Lisa, on the other hand, simply picked a couple of leaves, and looked at them with a calculating look. "The secondary veins of this leaf seem different, strangely crooked. But the feeling, the touch provided by my hand stumps, it is indeed the same that we can find in our yard. And where could be the tree that have produced them ? Is there even a tree ?" she ranted, grabbing her trusty notebook and dashing off those new observations with a fierce grin. "The questions, they just keep coming !"

Lori's shoulders slumped as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. "A pack of kindergartners, that's what I'm stuck with." she grumbled to herself.

* _Bap !_ *

Lori was litteraly hit back to reality, when a leaf-ball impacted her head. Shaking away the leaves, she glared at the playing siblings, who had frozen like deers in headlights. Immediately, the girls pointed at their brother, who scowled. "Real nice, girls, real nice." he grumbled. With a scornful glare, Lori stomped towards the snow-haired boy, towering with menace. She raised her hands, and Lincoln winced at the thought of being turned into a Human Pretzel. But no limbs were pulled, as Lori instead gathered a huge pile of leaves, and threw it in Lincoln's face, burrying him.

Confusion spread along his features as he popped his head from the pile, but he understood when he caught the sly smirk drawn on Lori's face. " _This_ is how you do it." she dusted her hands, then putting them in a 'gun-drawing' position. "Ready for next lesson ?"

The happy laughs ramped up as the game of crinkly leaves thrown at eachother's faces was resumed. Amused, the other sisters joined in, even Lola not caring about the 'dirty leaves' thrown at her. For this sole minute, nothing else really mattered, the Louds were simply having the time of their lives.

Then, as he ducked under one of Lisa's shots, Lincoln finally noticed something that had been standing in the room for quite a while. Something shiny, and very familiar. Indeed, it was another of the SAVE points. "Guys, look over there !" he called, alerting his sisters. Immediately, they approached the mysterious shiny star.

"Another one of those ?" said Lola.

"Bro, you gotta touch it !" pressed Luna, wanting to see if their hunch from earlier was right.

Lincoln nodded, and his hand grazed the star. The voice echoed again, but this time, something weird happened. Instead of just repeating it, Lincoln could feel his own mouth moving with the thoughts passing through his skull, repeating the exact same words with the exact same tone at the exact same time.

*" _The feeling of crinky leaves under your feet, something you've all felt before... It feels you with **Determination** **!** "_

Lincoln blinked and rubbed his jaw, wondering what had happened to him during the last five seconds. But he instantly knew that he had certainly done something freaky, because his sisters were looking at him as though he had grown a third eye. "Um, why are you looking at me like that ?"

"Dude, did you even hear yourself ? You were talking in stereo mode !" exclaimed Luna.

Confused Lincoln was confused. "I was what now ?"

"The words you've enounced once you touched this aureolin light source were accompanied with a strange duality of voices." explained Lisa, using a tongue depressor and a small flashlight to look inside her brother's mouth. "It felt as if another entity was adding the force of his vocal chords to yours."

"And that's not all ! Your pupils, they became bright red !" added Luan, not finding a suitable joke for this yet.

Leni gasped, "Oh my gosh, does he need cream or something ? I don't want to be infected !"

"Leni, that's pink eye." reassured Lori, rolling her eyes.

"Guys, should we be worried about this ?" said Lana warily, worried for her brother. She turned to the spooky expert for an answer.

"The spirit seems friendly for now. I suppose we can only see how the situation unroll, and hope for the best." analyzed Lucy.

"Thanks Lucy." said Lincoln gratefully.

"No problem. The helplessness of this situation is reward enough, it'll certainly make great material for my future writings I will adress to the Dark Lord." said Lucy with the exact same tone.

"...Thanks, Lucy." repeated Lincoln, taking a cautious step back.

His attention was thankfully carried elsewhere when the black panel reappeared. On it was written the same stats it had been indicating once Lincoln had saved. Only this time, instead of the ' _ **File saved successfully !**_ ', there were only the options to Save or Cancel. Confident in his choice, Lincoln tapped the Save button.

 _ **LOUDS – Ruins Leaf Pile**_

 _ **LV1 – 1:08**_

 _ **File saved successfully !**_

And with those words, the black panel once again vanished to places unknown. The Loud siblings, having only one remaining choice of action, began to depart towards the next corridor, when something interrupted them.

"Um... excuse me ?"

It was a small and frail voice, sounding like the tiniest of whispers. The Louds almost didn't hear it, but Lucy thankfully turned her head, prompting the others to do the same.

The source of the voice was a little fairy-like creature, shaped like a lump with dainty insect wings, and two antennas on its forehead. The monster had meek arms and legs, looking no stronger or thicker than noodles. Finally, its face was contorted in sadness, or rather in fear, his shaking form adding to that effect.

The Louds did not know how to react to the newcomer. Lori tried nontheless to adress them with a simple greeting. "Um, hi. Do you... need anything ?" she said with a low voice, having a hunch that using a high rate of decibels could prove too much to the little guy.

The small flying monster began to fidget his fingers, gulping each breath of air with intense nervousness, as if the share fact of looking at the humans in the eye was taking all of their courage, and much more. But in a moment of feeble bravery, they spoke, "I-I n-need to d-do this." A glint shone for a millisecond in his sad eye, and the Louds internally gasped when their SOULs once again jumped from their chests. They knew what that meant.

 **Fight engaged !**

* _"Whimsun flutters forth, trembling."_

Lincoln blinked. He had apparently done the double voice act again, but it just midly irked him this time. Right now, he and his sisters had an enemy to engage ! Well, they didn't know if it really could count as an enemy...

"Guys, am I the only one feeling real sorry for that guy ?" said Lynn of all people. The others nodded. What were they supposed to even do against something so pitiful ?

"Um, let's check him first." Lincoln tapped the ACT button, then ' _Whimsun_ ', and then ' _Check_ '. The answer he got and gave though, wasn't of much help.

* _"Whimsun. ATK 5, DEF 0. This monster is too sensible to fight. Talking to him ain't gonna be easy either."_

"I've seen more helpful, guidemaster." commented Lola dryly.

"Hey, don't be blaming me !" the boy defended himself.

It was now the Whimsun's turn. Shakily rising his hands, a swarm of white butterflies began to circle the eleven humans. They recoiled a bit, remembering the friendliness pellets that had almost caused the premature end of their story, but soon noticed that the attack was not... well, attacking them. As the siblings pondered this, the short attention span of Lily got the best of her, and all she could see were the pretty butterflies fluttering around. With a giggle, she extended her little arm to get a bit closer to them, but the moment she did that, Whimsun squeaked in fear, and the butterflies began to retreat instead of advancing towards the SOULs.

And just like that, the attack ended, resuming the Louds' turn. It looked like this turn had been a dud.

"What just happened ?" said Lana, hopelessly confused.

"I think the better question would be 'What didn't happen ?'." added Luan with a slight chuckle.

The monster could not stop trembling, tearing up in remorse. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." he quietly sobbed, beginning to hyperventilate.

The Louds cringed. The pity meter could not go any higher without borderlining on some sort of sad backstory, with deceased family and junk. Assured that the little guy would not attempt anything, the pack of siblings joined in a huddle.

"Gosh, poor little guy. This is kicked puppy level of sad !" whisper-yelled Leni, feeling genuienly sorry for the small monster.

"I know, right ? What can you say to a guy like that ?" said Lynn, casting a sideglance at the small lump of apologies. "He looks like he's gonna wet himself the moment we talk to him !"

"While I am a great enthusiast of Sigmund Freud's works, my aptitudes in the world of the psyche are rather weak. I fear I will not be of much help here." confessed Lisa with a twinge of shame.

"So... who's gonna talk to him ?" Lana popped the big question.

"I can try." interjected Lucy. She immediately received weirded out stares from her many siblings. "What ? Is there pink in my hair ?"

Lincoln took a breath, and put a hand on his little vampire-loving sister. "Well, Lucy, it's not that we think you can't make people feel better, it's just that the situation here is a bit tense. The guy's real sensible, and you can be a bit... um..."

"Back-crippling ?" tried Luan.

"Sunshine choking ?" added Lola.

"Noose inducing ?" finished Lisa.

Luna winced at the last one. "Way harsh, Lis'. Way harsh."

"What I'm trying to say," hissed Lincoln, clearly indicating that they were not helping, "is that you can be a little bit, um, _spooky_ when you let yourself go. This guy clearly needs compassion, a listening ear, and someone to resolve his problems. So if you really wish to do it, you should tone down the 'World doomed to oblivion' schtick, and just be natural."

"Darkness is my nature, Lincoln. The curse I was born with marked my skin and hair the moment sunlight dared to assault me." croaked Lucy. Somewhere, an organ was playing a dark melody.

"Yeah, see what you did there ? Do the exact opposite." pointed Lincoln with a deadpan expression. "All you need to do first is just say hello, and ask why he is so afraid of us. Simple as that, got it ?"

Lucy looked at her shoes for a moment, then nodded. "Got it. No tales of Edwin, no poems, no preaching about our inevitable fall into the pit of emptiness. Just... hello and 'what's wrong ?'."

"Atta girl !" grinned Lynn, giving her a friendly slap across the back. Despite the force unconciously put into it, Lucy barely flinched. "Now, go get him, you spooky jaguar !"

With the extra dose of encouragement, Lucy advanced, as Lincoln pressed ACT, and then chose the option ' ** _Lucy_** ', with the name strangely written in Blackadder ITC. One could immediately notice how eerily silent her approach was, as if there was no weight at all, or if she was just marching on the air. Nevertheless, Lucy proceeded, trying to keep her most neutrally friendly face.

"Go Luce !" whisper-cheered Lincoln, as the others watched with ranging expressions, but all with at least a trace of hope for their sister.

And for that moment, there was indeed hope, as the Whimsun, who noticed her approach, stopped trembling altogether, and wasn't actually fleeing her forthcoming presence. This was quite the good sign !

Well, to the humans it was, but not so much from Whimsun's point of view. The real reason the little monster had stopped trembling wasn't because his fear had melted away, but because he was actually so scared he couldn't move a muscle. Unconciously, Lucy was terrorizing him in her approach. The way she walked, the lack of sound in her steps, the overall aura of the pale human, it all served to build the image of an otherworldly presence in Whimsun's mind, one of a princess of eternal darkness.

Once she was close, Whimsun could see the dullness of her skin, grey like a tombstone, and the veil of dark bangs that hid her eyes, leaving only nightmarish imagination of what they could look like, judging the every flutter of his wings. And as Whimsun could feel his little heart pounding with the force of a taiko drum, the girl's words were enough to make it stop.

" ** _Hi._** " Lucy saluted. It was a casual tone to her, but for the Whimsun, it was the icy voice of the Grim Reaper _herself_ , chilling the very core of his frail heart. " ** _What seems to be the problem ?_** "

Whimsun answered, in the form of a weak groan, his eyes rolling back in his head, and falling like a pigeon that had just been shot.

* _...Well. It seems that_ _Whimsun, unable to take the pressure of Lucy's... presence, has fainted._

There was a moment of silence for Lucy, as she just stood there, looking at the monster who laid on the ground, foaming by his mouth because of her simple greeting. Her siblings advanced to her level, and observed the overall damages.

Lola gave a short whistle of wonder. "Wow. You've managed to make someone lose conciousness just by opening your mouth. Terrifying, but impressive."

"Aw, poor little fairy guy." Leni said in concern, as she kneeled to the little guy's level, and gently carressed his hand. "There there, you'll get all better, and then you can go back home in the enchanted forest."

Lynn facepalmed. "Urgh. Leni, that's not a fairy."

"But he does need help." pointed out Luna, patting the unconcious monster's forehead.

The siblings began to group around him, with Lisa using her small medical tools to analyze his situation, Lana using her cap to give him some air, Lily giving him 'kisses on his boo-boos', and the others watching any developpement.

Lori, supervising the situation from afar, noticed Lucy still standing on her spot. When the little goth slowly turned her head in her direction, the eldest sister put on an uneasy grin. "Um, say Lucy, why don't you go wait a little further away ? I... don't think it'll be a good thing if _you_ 're the first thing he sees when he wakes up."

Lucy immediately bowed her head in shame, and her shoulders slumped under the weight of her guilt. She slowly trudged to a corner at the end of the room, opposite to the way they hadn't explored yet, and sat down, knees against her chest as she poked the cold ground, an aura of pure gloom falling on her, even thicker than usual.

Lincoln looked at Lori with a look that screamed ' _Really ?_ ', putting Lori on the defensive. "Hey, I know it's not her fault, but I'm just preventing a possible heart attack here !" she said hautingly.

Lincoln rolled his eyes and shook his head. Sensing that it was their turn again, he tapped ACT, chose' _Group Comforting_ ', and joined Lucy in her corner. He tentatively poked her bangs. "Lucy ? Are you okay ?"

"Peachy. I've just found out that _monsters_ are afraid of _me_." mumbled Lucy, sounding even more depressed than usual.

"Lucy, you know that's not true. That guy's too sensible, I'm pretty sure he would've cracked if any of us had tried talking to him." Lincoln tried to reassure.

Lucy slumped her head deeper into her knees. "You're just saying that." was her muffled answer.

Lincoln pursued his lips, knowing that his arguments would need to be a little more fleshed out. "Lucy, don't get so bummed out about one guy. Not anybody can handle the darkness as good as you do. Plus hey, Toriel doesn't fear you ! She knows you express yourself differently, a fact we all know." he pepped up, pointing at his sisters to emphasize his point.

Lucy lifted her head from her legs, and put her chin on the top of her knees, putting on a pensive expression. She did remember the lesson she had learned about being herself through her encounter with Rocky. She blushed lightly at the thought of the curly-haired child. " _Siiiiiiigh_. I guess..." she admitted with a cute pout.

"Exactly !" exclaimed Lincoln. He knew that he had hooked her attention, so better not let her slip through his fingers back into her little lake of depression. "And you know what ? I'm postitive that down here, we'll meet a monster that'll be just as passionate for the ways of gloom as you."

Lucy perked up, a glimmer of hope present in her dry voice. "You really think so ?"

"I know so ! I even swear it on my entire coin collection, including that ultra-rare franc from 1860 I got three months ago." said Lincoln, crossing his chest to seal his promise.

Now knowing how serious the boy was, Lucy rested her head on his shoulder in gratitude. Smiling, Lincoln passed a hand around her own shoulder, and gently brushed her scalp with his other hand, the way he knew she liked it. The sisters, seeing the adorable scenery, couldn't help but chuckle and 'aww' at it.

Lisa's attention was brought back to the monster when she felt his fragile hand beginning to move. "Siblings, our patient is reemerging !" she warned.

"Everyone, back up, let him breathe !" firmly ordered Lori. The siblings immediately obeyed, and watched as Whimsun's small eyes fluttered open.

"Oooh, what was I doing ?" he meekly groaned. Memories rushed back, however, when he saw the nine girls of varying ages looking at him, the ones he had dragged into a fight. "Aaah, I'm sorry !" he yelled, thinking they were going to beat him, or scream at him.

But to his surprise, one of them, the one with a turquoise dress and sunglasses, approached him and gave him a warm hug, with her green SOUL glowing with compassion. "Aww, don't be like that, mister fairy. Everything's gonna be alright."

"Leni, he's not- oh forget it." Lynn relented.

Confused by the display of affection the blonde was giving him, Whimsun stood immobile, blinking. Then, he saw another human approaching him, one with purple boots this time. She sat down to be at his level. "Hey love. Be real with me for a moment. You don't wanna fight, do ya ?" Luna asked, a soothing tempo in her chill voice.

The small pinkish monster could only look down in shame. "No... I thought I could, but I can't... I'm sorry." his eyes began to water again.

Luna smiled, her yellow SOUL gleaming with wisdom. "That's okay, little dude. We don't wanna fight either."

"Y-You don't ?"

"Totally." nodded the musician. "Look, I don't get why monsters tend to attack us when they see us, but you don't have to if don't want to. If you do, you're only gonna hurt yourself." Luna took his tiny hand, and gave it a very soft squeeze. "Also, you gotta be a little more brave, dude."

"Yeah !" exclaimed Lynn, startling the Whimsun when she rapidly approached him. He could see the lively orange of her SOUL reflected in her eyes. "You've got to stand up for yourself ! Don't faint when someone talks to you, look at them in the eye, assert yourself ! And hey, if even my wimpy bro can do it, I'm sure you can manage."

"I can hear you, Lynn." grumbled Lincoln, making Lynn whistle innocently.

Whimsun took a moment to think, and the shadow of a resolve began to overcome his features. Batting his wings, he slowly lifted himself off the ground and out of Leni's grip. Once he was in the air, he nodded to the siblings. "I-I see. I do not want to fight you. So... could we end this fight, please ?" he asked, his voice only slightly cracking.

* _Whimsun has no issues with you anymore._

From his spot with Lucy, Lincoln observed the option boxes that had followed him for some reason. The one on the far right, [MERCY], was glowing a little brighter now, almost beckoning him to press it. Giving a look to Lucy, who returned it with a small shrug, Lincoln touched it. Two new options appeared, **_Spare_** and _Flee_. And the strange thing was that the first choice was typed in golden letters, instead of the usual white.

"Well, here goes nothing." he mumbled to himself, and pressed the **_Spare_** option.

An invisble wave washed over the battlefield, and Whimsun's form glowed for an instant, then dulled back to its normal pale pink. The very small source of Whimsun's magic could not be felt anymore.

He had been spared.

* _YOU WON ! You've obtained 0 XP and 1 Gold._

Lincoln arched an eyebrow. ' _Won one what now ?_ ' he thought, as his bright red SOUL went back to its fleshy home, as did the SOULs of his sisters.

 **Fight over.**

Whimsun, sensing the end of the fight, bowed gratefully, and flew down the exit, a little more confidence in his fluttering. The Loud siblings smiled at what they considered a job well done. "So young, and already he departs from the nest." Lana said, wiping a tear away.

"Yeah, but he let a souvenir !" chimmed Leni excitedly, as she showed it to her siblings. Their eyes collectively widened. This shiny yellow colour, this rare metal they've only seen on their mom's family ring or at the jewel store, there was no mistake to be made here.

"Is that..." began Lori with gleaming eyes.

"A coin made of..." continued Lynn.

"GOLD !" loudly squealed Lola, her pupils morphing into gold bars. She immediately tried to pounce on the coin like a tiger on its prey, but was held back by three of her siblings, including Lynn. The little princess snarled and trashed violently. "LET ME GO, YOU FILTHY PEASANTS ! THIS GOLD IS MINE, MINE I TELL YOU !"

"Geez, her gold fever isn't getting any better these days." said Luna, struggling to keep her hands on Lola, as the six year-old began to snap around like a, well, snapping turtle.

"Hmm, this does require some analysis." uttered Lisa, taking the little golden coin. Without her tools though, she used a more rudimentary method. She put it between her teeth, gnawed on it, and tried to bend it. When the coin proved sturdy enough, the small genius took it out. "This indeed seems to be aurum. But it is a wonder as why our winged friend would part with it so easily."

"Dunno, but for now, **I'm** keeping it." declared Lori, as she swiftly swiped it from Lisa's hand, and put in her pocket.

"No fair ! He gave it to me !" complained Leni, hands on her hips.

"Yeah, but I'm the oldest, so I'll hold on it until **we** need it." explained Lori.

Lola's rage subsided to a very whiny tone. "But why can't **I** have it ?!"

Lori huffed condescendingly. "Because, if we refer to your garments and multiple accessories back home, you aren't really the girl that keeps money _inside_ her pockets for long."

Lola frowned heavily, but said nothing, instead choosing to glower with all of her anger at a particular brick in the wall. If the paint could've scrapped under her gaze, it would had done it without hesitation.

After this small rollercoaster of emotions, the siblings felt ready to go forward again. But...

"Ribbit."

Lana immediately perked up at the croaking sound, and looked back. She immediately spotted a Froggit sitting next to the corner separating the ways to the large hall and the sweets room. "Look, another one of the big froggies !" she exclaimed giddly. "Let's go see him !"

The others were a bit wary. "I don't know. What if he attacks us ?" remarked Lincoln.

"Lincoln's right, let's not _hop_ to it just yet, hahaha ! Get it ?" cracked Luan.

Her knee was swatted by Lana's cap. "No frog puns, we had a deal !" she recalled the jokester.

Lynn shrugged. "Meh, what's the worst that can happen ? Luce, please don't." the jock stopped the small emo just as she opened her mouth, prompting a small "sigh" from her.

The Loud kids thus approached the Froggit. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be something a little different from the one they met with Toriel. This Froggit had some froggy wrinkles, and possessed a wiser look in his eye. He even had a little goatee !

"Aw, it's an old one. I'm callin' you Froggit Senior !" grinned Lana.

"Man, didn't know that the guy who painted this place also gave lessons to choose names." Lola commented dryly, still sour about losing her piece of gold.

"I gotta hand it to you Lana, he is pretty cute." nodded Lincoln.

"F'og." Baby Lily approved joyfully.

"Ribbit... thank you."

All human eyes widened in shock, apart from Lily who giggled obliviously, and Lana who looked like she had seen her first rainbow. "Did you just... talk ?" she whispered with overwhelming wonder.

"Why yes, how else would I communicate ?" croaked Froggit Senior in an old man voice. He tilted his head. "Are you crying, little human ?"

"This is the greatest day of my life." weeped the little tomboy. Lisa offered her a handkerchief, which Lana blew loudly into.

"Well anyway, I'm glad I got your attention, as there is something I wish to induce you. About battling monsters." he continued.

"Oooh, you've got free tips ? Sweet !" Luna threw a rock sign in the air. The kids excitedly took place in front of Froggit Senior.

The old frog nodded. "I've seen you with poor Whimsun back there, ribbit, and it seems that you were more than capable of settling things peacefully."

"Eh, it was nothing." Lori blew on her nails.

"You were lucky to have him as your first true opponent, ribbit."

The Louds stared in the distance, the haunting image of a cackling flower coming back. They all chuckled akwardly. "Yep, real lucky alright." laughed Lincoln, failing to not make it sound suspicious.

The ancient amphibian was kind enough not to dig the matter any further. "Here is how it works. If you **ACT** a certain way, or **FIGHT** until they are almost defeated, your opponents might not want to continue the battle. If such case happens, then be kind, humans, and use some **MERCY** , ribbit."

"So we can stop a fight by giving them Mercy ?" rationalized Leni. "That sounds totes swell !"

"Yeah, but I have a question. No wait, I have two." interjected Lynn. The sport-loving brunette needed important answers about those strange fights. "Why are monsters attacking us ? And follow-up question, what happens if we 'defeat' them ? Toriel told us that Fighting is the wrong way to go, but why exactly ?"

Froggit Senior bowed his head a little, a throaty sigh escaping his lips. "For your first question, the answer will be given to you on your way home. You do wish to go back to the surface, do you not ?" The siblings nodded, their eyes fixated on the frog, hanging on every word of his serious tone. "As for your second question, Toriel did not lie to you. Acting is a less dangerous course of action. Fighting can lead to a monster's giving up, but fighting too much with them could lead to their defeat. What of it, you ask ?" His look darkened, as he stared right back into the humans' eyes. " **Well, let's just say that if you wish for your hands to remain pure, you will avoid finding out.** "

The piercing words of the frog monster made the children's hearts skip a beat, whether the organic or magic ones. Lynn, now having her chilling answer, gulped at the rather grim revelation, that she completely understood. ACT certainly didn't seem that bad of an option now.

Seeing that the children had gotten the message, Froggit Senior's face brightened up. "Well, now that you know, do you think you can promise an old frog that you'll try to be the bigger person, and find the way to _Spare_ the fools that attack you ?" he asked warmly.

The siblings looked at eachother, and smiled when they found the same answer in eachother's eyes. They were more experienced in the brawling area, but diplomacy seemed a safer and, dared they say it, _funnier_ way to get through this. After all, making friends along the way did sound a better trip than having to cruelly take lives in vicious retaliation, or even just to beat monsters down until they give up fighting. They nodded to eachother, and looked back to the frog with fire in their eyes.

It was Lori who sealed the pact. "We promise that as long that there is a way to show Mercy, we'll find the way to use it !" she tightened his fists, and threw them in the air.

"YEAH !" bellowed the others, immitating the eldest of the group with the same amount of passion.

The frog let out a hearty chuckle. "Well in that case, I wish you a nice trip, children. Enjoy your stay in the Underground." he saluted. "Oh, and if you get into a fight with one of my kin, simply compliment them. That should shake them right out of their fighting spirit."

The children wished Froggit Senior a fond farewell, and hurried out to the next room. Once they were gone, the monster released a thoughtful sigh. "Who knows ? Perhaps _they_ will manage to go back to the Surface." His eyes twinkled as he looked at the ceiling. "Perhaps... perhaps they'll let us see the sky too." He chuckled wistfully. "Heh, even a Froggit can have his hopes and dreams."

* * *

The next room the Louds crossed was a rather small one. The only thing to be found in it were two little openings in the wall, a cracked portion of floor in its center, and an exit straight ahead.

Lynn advanced towards the cracked tiles, and poked one with her spiked shoe. It shuddered because of the light impact, indicating how frail it was. Lynn shook her head. "We can't pass on that. We're gonna have to jump to avoid it."

"This one should be easy. In position, people !" commanded Lori.

Thus, passing became a matter of seconds. Lily and Lisa hung on Lori who, with her long legs, managed to stride over the obstacle, as Luna managed to barely do the same with Lola on her shoulders. It was a good thing the rocker was used to doing splits during her jams. Lynn of course jumped above it, completed with a front flip and a perfect landing, earning a small round of applause from her siblings. Luan, Lana and Lincoln mimicked her action, with the pun-lover knowing her acrobatics, the mud-enthusiast counting on her reflexes she'd developped for her alligator fights, and the comic-fan proving that his training with both his athletic sister and girlfriend were not for naught. And Lucy... she just crossed it. No one knew how, but the moment the sibs took her into account, she was already on the other side.

And that made... ten ?

"Leni, hurry up !" called Lynn to her ditzy sister, who was looking at the opening in the wall next to her with interest.

But though not very smart, Leni wasn't deaf either. "Hm ? Oh, sorry guys, got distracted. I'm coming !"

Lori rolled her eyes. "Great, Leni. Just don't forget to- LENI, NO ! DON'T WALK ON THE CRACKED-"

"EEEK !" screamed Leni, as the damaged floor gave way under her, and she disappeared in the ground. The siblings gasped fearfully at this, but the pretty blonde was quick to reassure them. "I'm okay ! I landed on a big pile of leaves ! Oooh, I see a way up, be there in a sec !"

They could hear her going up some stairs, which seemed normal, but were properly baffled when Leni joined them by _phasing_ through the wall just under its narrow opening, making the surface ripple like water as she stepped out.

"Hey guys !" waved Leni cheerfully, not seeing anything wrong with what had just happened.

Lisa went ahead to touch the wall, which was now solid. She massaged her temples, already afraid of the answer to the question she was about to ask. "Leni... how did you pass through that wall ?" she articulated, keeping her vocabulary simple enough to be understood by the fashionista.

Leni looked back at the wall, devoid of the doorway she had gotten through. "Oh. I'm not sure. Like, there were some stairs, so I went up, and I could just see you like there was some sort of doorway. I guess it, like, only works one way or something."

"Well, that is _one way_ to put it, haha !" joked Luan.

Lincoln opened his mouth to retort, then closed it in contemplation. "Okay, that one was actually adequate." commented the boy.

"I'll take that as a victory !" cheered the optimistic brunette.

And with nothing else to see, the Louds proceeded.

* * *

The next room was bigger, but quite barren as well. A sign on the wall, a stone switch on the ground, a Lisa-sized rock, one row of spikes extended on the whole room's width, and an exit right on the other side.

The humans' immediate instinct was to head towards the sign. Once again, the information was quite peculiar.

" _Three rocks out of four recommend that you push them. - New Rock Times_ "

Luan giggled at the pun, while the others raised their eyebrows. "Rocks can read. Sure, why not ?" Lisa grumbled, trying to take this new insult to logic in stride.

"Well, the solution is pretty easy this time, even without Toriel." remarked Lincoln, looking at the rock and the stone button next to it.

Lynn nodded and cracked her knuckles. "Well, finally some exercise. I've been a little sore around the knees lately." she chuckled, her voice full of pride as she kept going with her warm-up with squats. "Step aside sisters, I'm about to _push_ a rock to his place."

Lynn put herself in position, and began to push. The siblings lost no time in cheering for the young teen like during her sport events. They'd always attract attention, especially when Luna would compose a ballad for Lynn's team, or like the time Lisa had tested her own brand of fireworks. In both cases, it had taken 15 solid minutes before anyone around the field got to recover their hearing.

The rock was of fairly weight, so Lynn was more than able to push it, while at the same time having to put her legs into it. But that didn't bother her, quite the contrary, she welcomed the effort. Ten seconds later, the goal was reached, the button sunk into the ground, and the spikes did likewise. Lynn contently dusted her hands, and gave a bow to her siblings applauding her.

"Woo, that felt good to the old back." Lynn groaned happily. "Well, pathway's clear, so now let's-"

* _Ring_ *

The motion of the siblings was once again interrupted by the sound of the phone. Lori reached it out of her pocket and answered. It was Toriel again.

"Hello children." Goat Mom said joyfully, which the Louds replied with a just as joyful 'HI!'. "I trust you're all doing all right, yes ?"

"Everyone's doing alright. We've met some locals, and they're really nice." Lori quickly described their small journey of ten minutes.

Toriel audibly nodded. "That's good to hear. But I'm also calling for a small piece of information. What taste would you prefer to have ? Butterscotch or Cinammon ?"

Intertwined shouts of the two flavours were raised, and their disharmony made the Loud sisters stare and glare at eachother, with a silent and confused Lincoln in the middle. Sensing the tension starting to be manifested, Lincoln put a stop to the conflict before it could even begin. "Hey, rule number one, guys ! We talk about our problems, not shove them in eachother's faces along with our fists and feet !"

"Oh my..." mouthed Toriel through the receiver.

Lori felt part of her anger diminish, and saw reason in her brother's words, though a pang of jealousy echoed by thinking it was once again Lincoln who had stopped the fight. "Ladies, he's right. Let's just act like we do when there is a motion to pass, with a vote." she sternly reminiscened. There was slight grumbling, but all seemed to accept this fair process. "Okay, so all in favour for yummy Butterscotch on the left, and all in favour for crummy Cinammon on the right." Her not-so-neutral explanation of the rules earned Lori a couple of raspberries.

In a swift motion, the Louds formed their two groups. The 'Butter-scorchers' counted Lori, Luna, Lucy, Lola, and Lisa, while the 'Cinammonsters' had Leni, Luan, Lynn, Lana, and Lily. Although the groups were differently constitued, this situation felt oddly familiar for the Louds, as well as the main factor of why it was still a tie despite their odd number of voters.

"Lincoln..." called the two groups in unison, looking at the boy with dangerously tense expressions. Lincoln gulped. Him ending in the middle of this kind of vote hadn't done him any good in the end. And he wasn't helped by the fact that he liked both of the tastes. ' _Curse my widely accepting tastebuds !_ ' he shouted internally.

"Well brother, what is your choice ?" said Lisa, her tone clearly indicating the answer he should choose to avoid becoming her guinea pig for the next few days. "Surely you too realize the delicacy that is Butterscotch compared to the excrutiating flavour that is Cinammon."

"Butter _stink_ , you mean !" retaliated Luan rather seethingly. "C'mon Linc-aroo, trust in the taste of Cinammon, it'll _spice up_ your day ! Get it ?"

"Butterscotch forever !" sang Luna.

"Cinammon for the win !" hailed Lynn.

The tension was getting thicker, as growls and hissing began to rise among the female packs. Lincoln knew there was no good ending for him with either of his choices, so he risked everything, and took the phone from Lori.

"Hey, Goat Mom ? Is it possible to have both ?" Lincoln spoke nervously, hoping for a quick answer as he could pratically feel the hot breath of his nearing taste-warring sisters.

Fortunately, fate proved to be merciful this time. "Why, that's a wonderful idea, Lincoln ! As long as none of you allergic to either of course."

"Nope, none of us, Lisa tested us on that."

"Well then, Cinnamon-Butterscotch it is !" declared Toriel with a chuckle. "I'll see you all later. Be nice~ !" And she hung up.

Lincoln sighed in relief, and looked at his sisters, who were raising a collective eyebrow at their brother's decision. "BOTH tastes ? That's your amazing solution ?" huffed Lola condescendingly.

Lincoln's expression went deadpan. "You all like Cinammon and Butterscotch. You just prefer one or the other, none of you hate them." he explained flatly. The sisters put on a face of sudden realisation, then smiled and scratched their necks sheepishly.

"Hehe... sorry ?" Lola chuckled akwardly.

Lincoln rolled his eyes, but smiled nontheless. Things getting intense over mundane choices was nothing new for the boy, but nothing he couldn't forgive or get back at them later on. "C'mon, you silly gluttons, let's keep going. Toriel might be preparing a dessert right now, and I think we wanna be there when it comes out of the oven, or whatever monsters use to heat their food."

With this mouth-watering thought, the Louds moved past the spikes, and out of the room.

* * *

"Well, that's not suspicious at all." commented Lori dryly.

The eldest blonde was referring to the pattern of the new room they had entered in. Behind them, another narrow opening in the wall. And before them, a wide almost bare floor, save for a tiny pile of red leaves, and another passageway on its far left from the Louds' point of view. But the detail that was the essence of Lori's snark, was certainly the cracked tiles that were plaguing the entirety of the stone parquet.

"This place could use some renovations." Lana scratched her chin. "If only I had the tools. Some plaster, a polishing, a quick paint job, and those Ruins would be all young again !"

"You've got good plans, but I'm pretty sure this suspicious floor gig was done on purpose." argued Luna with a sharp eye on the premises.

"Indeed." nodded Lisa, readjusting her glasses. "This is obviously another puzzle for us to solve in order to proceed. A clue must've been stacked somewhere near our current position. We only need this starting point, and we'll have this enigma done in no time."

"Who's 'nigma' ? He sounds cute." Leni grinned, the image of a bold hunky man settling into her quite feeble mind.

Lincoln decided to take the first step, by using his foot to poke at the tiles. He first tried the ones on his right. They shifted, promising a swift breaking down if someone dared to step on it. Lincoln then touched the tiles on their left. To his surprise, these ones didn't move, even by adding more pressure onto his poking action. "Guys, I think the cracks on the left are, um, what's that big word again, Lisa ?"

"Superficial, masculine sibling of mine." said Lisa like the teacher she could sometimes be. "Your analysis is nontheless correct, both showings of cracks look exactly the same, but some are only light crumblings, while the others are truly on the verge of collapsing." She tapped her chin in reflexion. Poking every tile to go forward seemed a rather tedious way to proceed. This clue had to be somewhere around here.

Lisa's eyes widened a bit as she looked at naive Leni, who was still daydreaming about 'nigma'. "Or perhaps... the solution is somewhere _under_ here." she mused, remembering Leni's fall a couple of rooms ago. She turned back to her sole brother. "Lincoln, use your foot harder on those weak tiles, in order to have them accomplish their trapping purpose."

While not understanding Lisa's sentence to its full extent, Lincoln had gotten the idea in it. He added force in his poking, until the shaking tiles crumbled, allowing the human bunch to, as Lisa guessed they would, see what was down there. The result was unsurprising.

"More leaves !" whooped Lana in joy.

"Where do they all come from ?" genuienly wondered Lori. Loads of leaves, and not a single tree into view. Then again, to know that, she would have to ask the _giant talking frogs_. So yeah, Lori wisely decided it was better to just accept it.

Lisa nodded ferverishly. "As I suspected. A clue indicating how to clear us a way must be down there. And with those leaves, it shall be easy for us to simply let ourselves fall down, and the opening in the wall being our way to go back up."

To demonstrate her theory, Lisa went first. The leaves easily broke her short fall, and looking around, she saw many more of them stacked in oddly shaped piles. She dusted her little pink pants, and called to the rest of the pack. "Okay, the coast is clear, you can jump-"

The genius kindergartner was silenced by her siblings all falling on her at the same time. Lily was thankfully kept on top, but her two-year-older sister rested at the bottom of the pile. Thank goodness her bones had gotten sturdy by all the dogpiles that she and her siblings had performed over the years.

"As I was trying to say, you can jump _one at a time_ , and certainly **not** all at once like impatient mutts !" muffledly scorned the four year-old. The siblings removed themselves from her, helped her up, and apologized. Lisa only grumbled in her inexistant beard. "Simple-minded apes, the lot of them..."

Brushing her foul mood aside, Lisa spotted a sign on the wall. The siblings followed her, and read the writing as well.

" _Don't step on the leaves !_ "

"Way too late for that, buddy." said Luan plainly.

Looking at the leaves around him, Lincoln's short sleuthing experience was at work. It quickly produced a result, one that was shared by his black-haired partner. "Those leaves haven't been stacked like that just for an artistic purpose." piped Lucy.

"You're right !" the white-haired boy brought his fist down on his palm in an 'Ah ha!' manner. "'We musn't step on the leaves'. The piles are telling us where not to step on to reach the exit !"

The other sisters, apart from Lisa, followed the non-leaf trail, and produced a collective 'Ooooh' of realization. That one was pretty darn clear once you put your mind into it.

"I have successfully memorized our road to success. Let us go test it." said Lisa as she began the trek hersef.

But interruption litteraly hopped on her way, in the form of a passing Froggit. Lisa bumped into it, startling the skittish monster, and prompting him to once again make a rainbow of human SOULs appear.

 **Fight engaged !**

* _"Froggit hops into action."_ recited Lincoln, once again sounding like two persons were speaking at the same time.

"Still freaky." commented Lola, supressing an uncomfortable shiver.

"Now that Goat Mom isn't there, think we should check it again ?" asked Lynn with interest.

"Can't hurt to try." shrugged Lincoln, tapping ACT, _Froggit_ , and _Check_ successively. His eyes went red again.

* _"Froggit. ATK 5, DEF 2. He only enjoys his attacks once. Life is hard that way for this enemy."_

"Rip-off. I want my turn back !" said Luan in a fake booing tone, with a chuckle at the end.

"Meow." said the Froggit, bouncing on the spot.

"The frog meows... okay." shrugged Luna. As things stood then...

The Froggit took his turn by making a smaller white frog appear, this one looking more like a regular one. It reared himself in position, and hopped toward its targets. Not quite wanting to know what would happen if they were touched by the small animal made of magic, they dodged out of its way, and rather swiftly at that. Once the frog touched the ground, it vanished.

"Woah, did anyone else feel more agile ?" remarked Lori, not noticing the red outline of her cyan SOUL glowing brighter. "I guess that's one more weird trait to add on the already long list."

* _"Froggit is not sure of what he's doing here."_

"Well, I know what _I'm_ doing right now." Lana puffed her chest confidently, pressing on the ACT button herself and selecting the newly added option _Compliment_. She then walked to the Froggit, and gave him her brightest smile. "Hey there, Froggit. I just wanna say, that bounce was awesome, almost as great as the ones my buddy Hops can do. You've got a knack for it, I can tell !"

Froggit blinked owlishly at the little grinning tomboy. Then, his white cheeks gained a pale pink blush, and he croaked a flattered "Ribbit".

* _"Froggit doesn't seem to have understood you, but seems grateful anyway."_

"Aaah, any time, frog pal." chortled Lana.

But while grateful for Lana's compliment, Froggit still attacked, this time in the form of little winged balls, resembling the way flies are usually drawn when not zoomed on them. None of them targeted Lana, strange as she was pretty close, but the others were not so lucky. One of them even managed to graze Leni's ear. It only stung a little, but the result was there, as Leni's HP bar lost one point. It was thankfully the only damage that resulted from this attack.

"I got an ouchie !" complained Leni, rubbing her lightly bruised ear.

"It's just a grazing, walk it off." Lynn rolled her eyes.

* _"Froggit seems unwilling to fight."_

The Loud kids knew what it meant, so Lincoln immediately pressed the **_Spare_** option of the MERCY bar.

* _"YOU WON ! You've gained 0 EXP and 4 Gold."_

The frog monster kindly gave a short nuzzle to the giggling six year-old, and hopped off the premises. Lana spotted the golden coins on the ground and picked them up. Then, she heard a throat being soundly cleared, and unenthusiastically gave the money to Lori, who shoved them down her pocket.

This problem done with, the siblings quickly obliged to Lisa's previous idea and got up. Once they were back in front of the room-wide puzzle, a strategy was quickly devised, courtesy of Leni of all people. _A conga line !_ Lisa was leading, with Lily behind her, then Lola, then Lana, and so on in a sibling increasing order. While Lisa tried to stay serious in her endavour, she ended up joining her siblings halfway through in their dancing to an inexistant rhythm, that kept going until they were out of the room.

* * *

The next room held three rocks familiarly placed near stone buttons, two rows of spikes on a platform surrounded on the sides by water, and the exit once again right in view.

Lynn was more than happy of this developpement. "Alright, it's pushing time again !" she said excitedly. After stretching her back again, she pushed the rock on the left in no time.

"Dibs on the next one !" demanded Lola with a grin.

" **You** wanna push ?" said Lincoln, a bit baffled that the little royalty would 'demean herself for such gross menial task'.

"Hey, that body wasn't just made with make-up, you know. Sometimes, it needs some work-out to get rid of those nasty love handles." explained Lola while taking a pose. She straightened the sleeves of her gloves, rubbed her hands together, and began to push. While not as fast as Lynn, her little body had the strength to get the work done. When she was done, she wiped the sweat off her brow with her handkerchief, as the siblings applauded her for her effort.

"Well, if everyone's doing it, I guess I'll join in too." announced Lincoln, used to get involved in some regular exercise after the Football Tournament fiasco.

"That's the spirit, bro !" encouraged Luna.

Lincoln strolled to the third rock, stretched a little, and advanced his hands. But before they could touch the rocky surface...

"Woah there, pardner ! What d'you think you're doing here ?!"

Lincoln jumped out of his skin the same way Lucy would make him when she'd suddenly appeared. Had he heard it right ?

"Well, anything to say for yourself ?!"

Yep, there was no mistake here. _The rock had spoken._ Monsters that took shape of animals and vegetals was already something, but they apparently could look like minerals too. They say you learn something every day, and today was proving to be a _very_ long day.

Nevertheless, Lincoln's features fell into embarrassement, as he began to humbly apologize. "Oh, I'm sorry ! I didn't know you didn't like to be pushed... miss rock ?" he tried, recognizing a female tone in the rock's voice.

The rock huffed at the boy's excuse. "Well of course I don't wanna be pushed ! Didn't y'all read the note back there ?"

"That poll result was a clue ?" Lisa blinked. "Huh, well played monsters. Well played."

"Why, youngsters these days ! Here I am, dandy lil' lady, sittin' there and minding mah own business, and suddenly I'm being pushed along like a dang sack of potatoes, without so much of a 'how do you do' !"

"Yeah Lincoln, is your heart _hard as stone_ or something ?" chuckled Luan.

"Okay, this one was easy, even for you." Luna reprimanded her roommate.

"Look, our brother is very sorry, it's just a big misunderstanding." appeased Lori, with Lincoln nodding next to her. "Let's just forget about this, and start again, alright ?"

"Hmm... well, if he _is_ sorry." relented the female rock, her voice then warming up. "Name's Joannah. I've never seen the likes of you in the neighbourhood. You visitin' or something ?"

"That's... one way to put it." fiddled Lori, not really wanting to tell every monster that they were humans. If one with such with attitude decided to attack them, things could get pretty hectic. Not to mention she could easily squash their toes. And that was just plain nasty to think about.

"Yep, and we, like, need to go that way." Leni pointed to the exit. "But there are mean spikes blocking our way. Could you try moving for us without touchies ? Pretty please ?" she put forward her best pleading puppy eyes.

"So, you're _askin'_ me to move over ?" Joannah raised an eyebrow. _Somehow._ "Well, for you pumpkins, I guess I can do some movin'." She immediately did just that, moving slightly to the right. "There, is that good ?"

"Um, could you do it a little more ?" said Lana.

"Sure." Joannah moved again, upward this time. "How's this ?"

"No, we need you to move on that stone button over there." explained Lincoln, gesturing the rock's intended destination.

The female rock shifted, like she was nodding. "Oooh, right, got it." She then moved herself back on track, and attained the goal. With the three buttons pressed, the spikes slithered down, opening the way for the humans. "And there you go !"

"Yay, we can pass !" cheered Leni, starting to walk forward, but she was momentarily stopped by Lisa.

"One second there, dear sibling." tutted Lisa, knowing that if it had needed that much information to get the rock to accomplish their wish, she'd need one last information to not screw it up in the process. "Miss Joannah, could we ask of you that you remain on your current position until we're all through ?"

"Well, aren't you all demanding ? But since I'm already there, why not ?" she 'shrugged'.

Now 100% assured that all was clear, the Loud siblings proceeded across the wooden unspiked platform. Once on the other side, they adressed a big "Thank you!" to the helpful geologic monster, who chuckled.

"T'was nothing, pumpkins. Have a good day, and remember ! Things are easier if you just ask !"

The Louds waved good-bye, and went to the next room.

* * *

Once again, a very small room, this one having barely enough place for all the children to move freely. Three things stood out in here : a mouse hole in the wall, a little table with some cheese on it, and another glittering SAVE star.

"Oooh, free cheese !" grinned Lana.

"Lana, you don't even know how long it's been there !" chatised Lola. The messy twin ignored her, and tried to remove it, but no matter how much she insisted, it wouldn't move.

* _"The cheese has been there for so long, it's stuck to the table."_

"Ha, serves you glutton right !" mocked Lola, making Lana pout and grumble.

"Think whatever mouse lives in there will get the cheese one day ?" asked Lincoln, trying to get a good view of said mouse inside the little hole.

"So close, yet so far. An odyssey against the fear of the unknown, one that has doomed many before." Lucy mused in her own way.

"How do you get a simple story like that and make it so gloomily epic is something I'll never get about you." said Luna, throughly amused by her little dark-minded sister. She messed her long hair a bit. "And best to keep it that way."

Lincoln touched the new star, and the voice once again spoke through their mouth.

* _"Wondering if the mouse will ever get his share of cheese. It fills you with_ ** _Determination !_** _"_

"Looks like Lincoln's mind roommate is also on the whole 'mundane epicness' thing !" laughed Lynn, along with the other sisters, and even Lincoln as well, who promptly saved.

 _ **LOUDS – Ruins Mouse Hole**_

 _ **LV1 – 1:36**_

 _ **File saved successfully !**_

Once the black panel was gone, Leni felt her ear tingle, and touched it. "OMG guys, my ear's all better now !" she said, as her HP bar went back to _20/20_.

Lisa, bent on finding how this place worked, wrote down this occurrence for later. "SAVE points can heal. Interesting..."

This being done, they took off to the next room, with Lucy sharing one last glance at the mouse hole.

" _Sigh_. Is there really someone waiting for me along the way ?" she wondered mournfully, before following the group.

 _If only she knew what was waiting for her in the next room. Speaking of which..._

* * *

The new room had something rather peculiar going for it. In addition of the _two_ exits standing at the other end of the room, one going straight, and the other one to the left, there was a pile of leaves concealed by two walls.

And standing on the narrow, only way to keep going, was a white... blanket ? To be more precise, its form resembled of the stereotypical drawing of a ghost. On it were two round and empty eyes, looking like they had been drawn with a marker, and a line between them.

And it just laid there, unmoving, tranquil. But most important, it was in our heroes' way !

"Ah geez, do monsters take their naps in people's ways ? Is that a thing ?" said Lola, huffing in slight annoyance.

Lucy was unresponsive as she looked at the 'napping' form ahead of her. She could feel strange energy coming from it. Behind her bangs, her eyes widened a little. No, they were never that clear in the open, it certainly couldn't be... could it ?

"Well, should we ask him to move ? Don't want to be rude or anything, but we can't pass if he stays there." argued Lana.

"I'll do it !" said Leni, waving her arm in the air. She advanced to the sleeping white form, and asked casually, yet gently, "Hi, mister sleepy head. Could you please, like, move for a second, so we may pass ?"

"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..."

Leni quietly gasped, and turned to her siblings. She made a 'shh' with her finger before her mouth. "I think he's napping."

Lori sighed and shook her head. "Okay Leni, first, that's the problem we're trying to solve. Second, that guy's not sleeping, he's just saying 'zzz' out loud, pretending to sleep !" she said with a scowl, that only hardened when the ghost zzzed louder, thinking he was fooling someone.

Well, he _was_ fooling Leni, who widely shook her head. "Nuh huh ! That's just the sound people make when they sleep, I saw it once in Lincoln's comics !"

"That's called an onomatopeia, Leni." explained Lisa. She felt the need to add, "And no, this has nothing to do with tomato sauce."

"Alright, enough of this, let me try." Lynn pushed her way through, and passed Leni to look at the sleeper. "Hey buddy, not trying to be rude here, but we'd like to pass. So, could you _please_ get out of the way for a second."

"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... (i'm sleeping...) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..."

Lynn wasn't the brightest of the bunch, she knew that. But she did NOT like to be taken for an idiot. Clenching her fists and her teeth, Lynn reached for the ghost. "That's it ! If you're not budging, I'm budging you !" she said heatedly. But surprise came when her hands were supposed to touch the white and seemingly fabric-like skin of the creature. The key word was _supposed_ , as Lynn's hands actually moved through the monster, who lost its opacity to gain a translucid appearance.

"YIKES !" yelped Lynn as she brought her hands out of the creature and took an immediate step back. She peered at her right and left hook-throwers, and sighed in relief when they appeared to be unharmed. But she had no time to fully enjoy it, as she backed up more alongside Leni while the untouchable monster began to stir.

Then, he began to float off the ground, his eyes gained a touch of live in them as well as a bit of moisture, and a little mouth appeared beneath the line at the center of his face. It opened, speaking with a quiet, monotone, and _ghastly_ whisper. "oooh... am i such an annoyance to you ..?"

All of the siblings looked shocked at the moment. Some with confusion, others with wonder, and some others with fear. The voice, the shape, the intangibility, there was no doubt of what type of creature the Louds were encountering at the moment.

But if the Louds had not been so focused, they would've caught what is a probably just as rare sight to behold.

 **Lucy with a** _ **genuine**_ **toothy smile, her form slightly shaking with** _ **mirth**_ **, and a small** _ **squeal of excitement**_ **escaping her lips.**

Only three words for the little spooky Loud, as she felt her SOUL jump out of her chest.

"Best. Vacation. _Ever_."

* * *

 *** _Spooky Jazz intensifies_ ***

 **Yes, I certainly DO wonder who everyone's favourite weeping ghost is gonna bond with. I'll give you a small clue, it's not with Luan.**

 **Welp, that's another chapter done. In the next one, we'll tackle on the first UT-LH bond beginning to form. Will it be a friendly one ? Or perhaps something more... Nothing too severe though, don't want LucyxRocky fans starting to crash my door and steal my Nacho Cheese Dorritos. _My precious..._**

 **As always, leave a Review to say what you've thought of this chapter, and keep throwing some ideas in the mix. Who knows, they might just get enough of my interest to get me to slither them in. Though to all Undertale AU's Fans, know that there'll be none of that. I like them as much as you do, but the story is already long and complicated enough as it is. Nothing stopping you from writing them yourselves though ! The site is there for that, after all !**

 **Anyway, this is Superdimentio77, telling you to not worry, there's people out there who'll get and understand you, even if they aren't in everything you like. Be great forever !**


	6. Ruins, Part 4

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 1 : Ruins**

 **Part 4 : Gloom and warmth**

 **IMPORTANT : If you're following me and you've already read this chapter, I'm simply reposting it for those who haven't seen it. See, for a little while, the E-mail alert of was broken, I saw that when I didn't get an alert in my own mailbox. So in order to not have those people surprised when they see they are one chapter behind, I am reposting it. As for the next chapter, it's in developpement as I write this. See you soon~**

 **Author's Note : * _Author is lying on the floor like a piece of dry calamari...*_**

 **Finals... took most of my time... sorry to be that late...**

 **But hey, I guess that there is a new chapter now. One that I actually managed to make even longer than the previous ones...**

 **Still, all my apologies for being so slow. Next updates shall arrive faster. Thank you all so much for your support, I read every one of your reviews. I even got to incorporate an idea or two that were thrown at me, I'm sure those who proposed them will recognize themselves. Anyway, enjoy this wrap-up of the Ruins quest, and some adorable spooks meeting eachother.**

 **Or not... you choose... it's all you...**

 **Loud House and Undertale are not mine. _Sigh..._**

* * *

Lincoln had been a fan of the show 'AAARGH !' for at least two years now. He had been immediately hooked up the moment he saw Hunter Spector catch the dastardly cunning 'Ghost of a hundred fridges'. The effects had been so good, the eleven year-old couldn't tell if the apparitions were real or not, and that despite Lori's snarky comments or Lisa's lectures on how the existence of lingering spirits was purely frivolous and a waste of the human's mind to believe in them.

But though Lincoln had been 'hunting for ghosts' ever since, causing some humourous sheninigans with the house vacuum cleaner, the snow-haired boy couldn't help but gape in wonder before the undead entity right in front of him. This was no shadow moving in the corner of the basement or reflection of light in the attic, **this** was the real deal. A 100% authentic ghost, floating and everything.

Struck dumb, Lincoln stood speechless, as were his sisters. It however changed when colorful hearts appeared before them, and his lips began to flap on their own. And that could only mean one thing.

* _"Here comes Napstablook."_

 **Fight engaged !**

{ _Undertale OST – Ghost Fight_ }

"By Newton's apple and Nikola Tesla's facial hair. Ghosts are real too." breathed Lisa. She could feel her brain slightly spazzing out by this new addition to the avalanche of unscientific revelations that had been falling on her for the last hour or so.

"G-G-Ghost ?" trembled Leni as she hid behind a bewildered Lori. Spiders were her worst fear, but she wasn't really fond of ghosts either. The last ghost movie she had seen had made her unable of opening the fridge for two solid months, afraid that she'd find a gateway to Hell in it. Or worse, those ugly suits the heroes were wearing !

Luna tilted her head, not quite sure how to react to this. "I guess we should've expected it, in a weird way." The rocker was surprised, but it wasn't like the ghost was scary. Odd-looking, at best. And was she hearing jazz ? "Napstablook, huh ? Nice name, neatly rolls off the tongue."

"Not gonna lie, this is pretty _ghoul_ !" joked Luan, shaking away her surprise with her natural delight.

"Ghosts are real ! Ghosts are real !" chanted the twins together, a bit worried, yet excited at the same time.

Ignoring his sisters' antics, Lincoln took a better look at the ghost. He really looked like the way a child, if asked, would draw a ghost. Long white body looking like someone wearing a bedsheet on their head, two white eyes with a black outline, and a small mouth, although his didn't have any sharp teeth. But the other noticeable thing with _Napstablook_ 's eyes was how sad they seemed, kinda wet-looking as he gazed at the floor. In fact, his whole presence reeked of depression and melancholia, as if he was thinking of the world's misery in permanence.

Lincoln pursed his lips. That sounded _very_ familiar. But before dwelling on this, he knew by seeing the option boxes in front of him that action needed to be taken. So naturally, he first thought of _Check_ ing.

* _"Napstablook. ATK 10, DEF 10. This spirit_ ** _seems_** _to be devoid of any sense of humour."_

"Wow, that was kinda cold." remarked Lynn. Were spirits mean to eachother or something ?

Napstablook also wasn't deaf to his description, and his eyes watered more as his brow tightened. "oh, i'm a real hoot alright..." he mumbled. The siblings winced, that was the most down in the dumps tone they had ever heard in their lives. And when you lived with Lucy Loud, that was saying something. Just hearing him talk like that made them think of sad kitten, the sense of failure coming from an 'F' in mathematics after studying for it, and grey skies accompanied with drizzling rain.

Suddenly, irony decided to act too, as the moment they thought of the rain, Napstablook began to cry, many tears at the same time. But instead of just splashing on the ground like gravity would want them to, they instead angled themselves to target the humans. With a yelp, they disbanded and arched their bodies in an effort to not be hit by the lethal marks of sadness. Some hit home however, with Lori taking one in the leg, and Lana in the arm. Both blondes yelped at the stinging sensation, the tears proving to be slightly corrosive, leaving marks on both of them and (delepting) 3 HP from each of the sisters.

"Yikes ! I thought that one movie said crying was supposed to be a good thing !" said Lincoln, bending to check if Lana was okay. The tomboy shook it off, she had been through worse, like during the last possum invasion when she had taken them head on, pan on her head and broom in her hand.

"Forget your movie, this is real life !" Lola threw her arms in the air. She calmed down soon enough with a deadpan. "Yep, a ghost trying to cry us to death is real life now."

"It's okay, it's just a small wound." reassured Lori, wincing every time she touched the bruised part. "Let's find a way to get ourselves out of this situation first. C'mon, we need ideas people !"

"Well, we could try flattering him. After all, being nice doesn't _ghost_ anything, hahaha !" guffawed Luan.

"Or y'know, we could scare him away." proposed Lynn with a sly grin. "Let's see how he likes it being on the other end for once."

"Thinking that by being a ghost our foe is only meant to haunt and scare people, is once again quite the stereotypical assumption. This is the 21st Century, try to act accordingly." lectured Lisa.

With those two ideas under their belt, Lincoln was once again beckoned to press ACT. Two new options had been added, ' _Flatter_ ' and ' _Terrorize_ '. The first one sounding more gentle for the poor ghost, it was chosen, and let the floor for Leni and Luan.

The ditzy blonde began, working up her courage to ignore that she was talking to a g-g-ghost. "H-Hi there. You've got a real nice... glow ? Yeah, you're totes cute !" she perked up, getting the hang of it. Plus, he really did look cute. "Wanna talk with us for a bit, share fashion tips ?"

"Yeah, let's talk, not cry. I bet that with a little effort, in no time, we'll be able to _lift your spirits_ , hahaha ! Get it ?" joked Luan, always confident that a pun could bring anyone into the mood for conversation.

But while the girls' efforts were commendable, it proved useless on changing the ghost's mood. In fact, he semmed to be getting even more bummed out as he looked up to gaze at them. "thanks for trying... but don't bother... i'll just be a blunder for you..." he murmured.

A wave of intense dejection and self-loathing washed over the two joyful Louds, making them lose their welcoming smiles and share a look. This was going to be tougher than they first thought, but they nontheless wanted to try some more.

"Don't say that about yourself, I'm sure that's not true. You're not a blu... blue... just a weight." Leni said with great kindness.

"Yeah, not only figuratively, but litteraly as well ! That's one diet I wanna try, hehe !" laughed Luan, while keeping a friendly voice.

But to the two girls' disappointement, Napstablook's mood didn't improve one bit. "the answer's simple, i'm _nothing_... except trash maybe..." the poor ghost pratically cried monotonously. "i'm wasting your time here..."

* _"Napstablook thinks he does not deserve your sympathy."_

A small rush of adredaline overcame the siblings, indicating Napstablook's turn. Leni and Luan took a fearful step back, but were surprised to see a blurry message appear instead of an attack : " _Really not feelin' like attacking right now. Sorry._ " The spirit's eyes returned to the ground, mouthing a little 'sorry' while doing so. Luan and Leni admitted defeat in their action, and returned to their siblings, heads bowed in shame.

Luna patted her sibling's back, wanting to comfort her. "You tried your best, dude."

Luan shook her head. "If I had, he would be laughing right now." she mumbled dejectedly. The bright comedian was immediately given a small hug by her roommate, making her already feel better. As for Leni, she was quick to be consoled the same way by both Lily and Lincoln, knowing how sensible the practically woman-child could be.

In the midst of all this, Lucy put a hand on her chest, her mouth shaped in a little 'o'. Such melancholy, such sadness of heart. He was as morose as one can be, but unlike Edwin, he wasn't stone-cold about his endless suffering. He was suffering in a way that was actually making Lucy want to end it.

 _She... certainly did not expect that to happen._

Lynn narrowed her eyes, and punched her open palm. "Okay, now we try my plan. Never thought I'd be scaring off a ghost someday, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna enjoy it." she grinned with uneasy malice.

"Okay, but go easy on him. He's bummed out enough as he is, and we don't want him to litteraly lash out either." punctuated Lori, still feeling the sore spot on her leg.

"Yeah yeah, don't worry, it's not like I can rough him up anyway." she said in a dismissive tone, and advanced under the skeptical looks of her siblings. Once before the spooky depressed lump, Lynn began the trash talk. "Alright mopey, you're bright and awake, so let's do this one more time before it gets ugly. _Move away_." she glared at him.

It was not very effective on Napstablook, who simply stared at her with the same wavery eyes. "i'm incorporeal... i can try lowering my hp for you, but it's my favourite garbage spot here... oh, i guess i'm gonna lose that too..."

Lynn's fighting spirit, something she was proud of and had endured some of the meanest trash talks ever, actually wavered at Napstablook's bleak logic and curtesy. But that didn't stop her though, as she decided to call on bluff instead.

"Oh, you think that's gonna save you ? That because you're a ghost, you're untouchable ? Bet you haven't been punched by a human then, and certainly not by me. But I can correct that now, by repainting both of those pretty white eyes with a homemade shade of painful black !" Lynn emphasized her threat by showing both of her assistants in the art of punching. She put on a smile that promised no mercy. "Well, what's your call Gloomy ?"

His call was given in a spike of melancholia, looking directly into Lynn's eyes, yet making the teen feel like as if he was gazing into her SOUL. "go ahead, do it... at least it'll be way more interesting than me..."

* _"Threats seem to have worsen Napstablook's mood. The sadness in this room has phased off the charts."_

Lynn's fists fell back on her sides, and her face fell into disbelief. She couldn't believe it. Normally she'd rough anyone to get her point across, whether to toughen up her sisters and brother, to playfully fight with her friends, to give some bullies a lesson, or even to give a simple slap on the back to the downers to get them riled up again. But THIS guy was something else. It seemed that his entire being was made of pity and self-belittling. She had no idea why he was like this, how he became like this, if he had been that way since the beginning, and for what reasons he kept being like that. But she knew one thing, and it was that she could not harm him in any away, even if he happened to become corporeal. Because then, she'd become what she always feared to be : **A jerkwad of a bully**.

And as if to add on this sad spectacle, Napstablook began to cry again, although his tears were different this time around. Instead of drop-shaped tears, they were looking all wiggly. The tears fell on the ground normally at first, then they began to slither on the ground like little snakes. The Louds hopped around to dodge them, but they quickly realized the magic tears weren't aiming at them, but at the walls surrounding them, which the tears immediately began to ascend. Then, they made their way to the ceiling, and acted their true purpose, to rain on the children.

They scattered, but this attack proved to be much harder to dodge than the last. Lana and Lori surprisingly didn't get hit again, as well as Lily, in Lori's arms, and Lucy, who had been standing in the back. The others weren't so lucky, with each of them receiving their small dose of pain.

"Yeowch ! Dude, how can someone calling himself bland all the time have acid tears ?!" grunted Luna, slightly rubbing the new bruise on her shoulder. Her foul mood stopped however, when she noticed that a certain other Loud had been hit in a peculiar spot. Her eyes widened. "Uh-oh, bomb blowing up in 3, 2, 1..."

"MY HAIR !" hollered Lola, as Napstablook's tearful attack had touched her in the forehead, just where the front side of her hair was. Well, _had been_ now, as the blonde lock of hair that had usually been resting on the left of said forehead was now burned out, only leaving an _ugly mark_ instead. Lola's blood pressure quickly went ballistic, as the fire of impending wrath burned strong in her eyes. With a high-pitched war cry, she dove for a chance to claw at the defying ghost, without even going through the FIGHT option box. She was stopped, however, by her twin and her only brother. "LET ME GO ! HE NEEDS TO PAY FOR THIS HEINOUS CRIME ON MY PERSON !" she screamed with unbridled fury.

"Lola, calm down, I'm sure he didn't mean it that way !" said Lincoln, trying to ignore the new slight pain on his back.

"He's right !" approved Lana. "Plus, he's intangible. You'll just be clawing air like a dingus."

"I DON'T CARE, I'LL KILL HIM IN SOME WAY !" howled Lola, her rage not subsiding.

The messiest of the twins put on a deadpan face. "Lola, again, he's a _ghost._ "

That got Lola to stop in her tracks, realizing the crucial flaw in her revenge plan. She dropped back on the ground, and sadly watched her reflection in her compact. "Now look at me. My hair and my beautiful face, ruined." she whimpered.

Normally, Lana would have huffed or mocked her sister's overbearing ego. But knowing that the situation was not so normal, she decided to help her feel better instead. Snatching a comb from her pink twin, Lana rearranged her hair with the expertise she had seen Lincoln display during her short Pageant period. When she was done, the burned mark was barely visible, hidden under the a lock of blonde hair. "There you go. It's not perfect, but you'll make it look good." Lana dusted her hands, proud of her work.

Lola looked at the result, and could not help but smile a little at her twin's helpfullness. She tried to stay proud though, "Yes, I believe I will. Thanks." she exchanged a small low-five with Lana.

This small fashion problem resolved, now the siblings could go back to the more threatening problem. "Okay guys, this is looking pretty grim, and not just because of his attitude." said Lincoln, getting kinda nervous. "Flattery or threats, we got the same results. What do we do now ?"

"That guy's a tough nut, yet he's so meek and sad-looking. Not gonna lie, I'm kinda lost here." admitted the usually prideful Lynn.

"Running away could be an option, but then we'll have to wait for Toriel some more. And I gotta say, now that we've got so far, it'd litterally be a waste to just stop." considered Lori.

"Poor ghostie. He needs someone to talk to, but he thinks he's not good enough for us. Like, it's so sad." said Leni with sad puppy eyes.

"Your idea holds value, fellow sibling." Lisa tapped her chin in deep thought, gathering all the informations at her disposal. "Hmm, the best solution we could consider would be to get to his level. To share his pain, his bleakness, the pressure of the world constantly weighing his non-existant shoulders. Simply put, we need to speak _his_ language."

"I could do it." suddenly uttered Lucy, scaring the wits out of her siblings. She had been especially silent for the whole fight, and the aura of gloom around the room had masked her presence even more than usual. Now though, Lucy noticed that the others were giving her some looks again. "What ?"

"Look, no offense Luce, but... there is all that biz with that Whimsun guy..." said Lynn, trying to find the right words. She quickly realized she wasn't doing a good job at it by seeing Lucy slightly bowing her head in shame, and attempted to salvage the situation. "No wait, I'm not saying that was your fault, little guy was ready to faint anyway. It's just that... you came on a little... strong ? And not only that guy ain't looking any better, but he can hurt us good." she explained, looking at the small burn mark on her arm.

"But she fits the bill, doesn't she ?" inquired Luna. "Gloom's her whole flow dudes, we've said it ourselves back then !"

"I suppose that's correct." nodded Lisa, then pointed a finger at her black-clad sister. "But can we be sure that she'll align the right parameters ? The similarity of attitudes presented here is not the ones we've seen with Haiku or that friend of Luan that proves that opposites do attract." Luan blushed a little hearing that last part. "What we have here is a shaken subject, that does not even share the same species as our sibling, and uses his abundent lachrymation as a quite lethal weapon. Too much of a missed step could get us all in a good deal of strife, and not one we'll be walking away from."

"Lisa, could we have it down to about ten words instead ?" criticized Lola, feeling a headache coming.

Lisa rolled her eyes at the 'ignorance' of her peers. "If she messes up badly, we could certainly be screwed." she compressed, perfectly respecting the conditions of her assignement.

Lucy rubbed her arm in silence, thinking of perhaps just walking away and blending with the shadows again, staying out of the way. But looking once again at the **ghost** before her, she knows that now was not the time to disappear again, and that she had to do what she believed was right.

So with a small boost in confidence, Lucy spoke for all to hear. "Look, I know I did pretty bad before. And I know I'm probably the last person to see if you wanna make someone feel better. But this lingering spirit before me..." she motionned towards Napstablook. "I believe I can build something with him, a connection. And with that connection, I can get him to open up, and share his sorrows with me, so that I can help him." She tilted her head downwards again. "I'm not usually the person who acts to change things, thinking it won't make a difference." She looked up, and her siblings could tell that behind her veil of dark bangs, she was looking at them straight in the eye. "But this time, I **want** to try. Please, let me try."

Lucy's words were generally quite profound, but this time, the siblings could feel those words piercing right through their hearts. Even though Lucy's voice had not raised by an octave or a true boost of emotion, they could feel the desire in it, and what it was meant for. _The little goth wanted to prove herself useful._ The siblings looked at eachother, and smiled. Who were they to refuse her that chance ?

Lincoln advanced, and put an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "If you feel you gotta do it, then we say go for it." he encouraged.

"Really ?" Lucy perked up a little.

"Yeppers ! Onwards, _Fair Lucy_ !" beckoned Luan loudly, followed by the others' cheers. "Because I don't like to go into stereotypes, but I'm positive you're the only one who can _yank up his chain_ , hahaha !" the jokester laughed, followed by the others' dismayed groans.

Apart from the pun, Lucy felt herself invigorated by the support of her brother and sisters. She first stopped by the ACT button, and chose the ' _Lucy_ ' option. From afar, Lincoln noticed it was shining a bit this time. The option of this turn selected, Lucy calmly proceeded forward until she joined the spot of leaves Napstablook was floating above. Her SOUL beated a little faster, but she quickly took a deep breath, remembering her big siblings' advice to do so in order to get some stress out. And then she talked, her voice all but a tiny squeak rivaling in shyness the tone of the person she was talking to.

" _Hi..._ "

Napstablook blinked at the saluting human before him. "oh, hi..." he returned the politeness.

"...Do you want to sit down with me ? On the leaves ? It'll be less... bothersome that way."

The ghost thought for an instant, then gave a tiny nod. "um, alright i guess..." And he proceeded to actually sit down on the ground, next to Lucy who did likewise, bringing her knees to her chest like she'd usually do.

Lucy twirled a lock of her ebony hair with her finger, as she could feel all of her siblings' attention pinned on her and her patient. Things were going good for now, she had gotten him to sit down and listen. But now, what could she say ? She couldn't speak of her usual stuff, she still remembered of the last time she spoke of helping her on funeral practice to someone out of her family. On a happier note, Artie had discovered that day that he was meant for Marathon. But Lucy knew she needed tact on this one. So, she decided to channel her inner Lori, and start with a bit of small talk. "So..." she began, "do you... like to come here often ?"

Napstablook stopped gazing at the floor for a moment, then looked at it again, too depressed to look at someone in the eye while talking. "it's nice... there's not many people coming here, so I lie here all day... it's better that way, i'd just bother them, make myself a burden and a waste of their time, just like i am to you right now." Napstablook murmured, his eyes getting watery again.

Hearing this speech of gloom however, made Lucy automatically fall back into her dark poetry mood. "Time is a constant, we can't escape it. Do as you want, you can't stop it. We live in its illusion, trying to value every minute. But in the end, we all know it's all for peanut. Time is already a waste, therefore in this category you can't say you are placed." she dryly recited.

The Loud siblings cringed at their sister's bluntness about what she thought of life. Though impressed of how she managed to make rhymes on the spot, the brutality of her words were enough to make them worry for the already despondent ghost. Some even wondered if a ghost could do himself in, and all were scared to find out.

Lucy also internally winced at her own words. She had talked too much about the darkness again, she just hadn't been able to help herself. Once the sour yet sweet licorice taste of the twilight rolled on Lucy Loud's tongue, its contents would spread on the soul she was adressing like a flock of black crows on a table full of stale bread crumbs. Now though, all she could do was to observe her first face-to-face interview with a spirit _bomb_ like never before, once again putting her back to the corner of shame. _Perhaps the one she belonged in..._

But to the surprise of all the humans, Napstablook... chuckled. Weakly and with apparent melancholia, but he chuckled. "heh... that actually makes me feel a little better..." he said with a tiny smile.

* _"Napstablook's mood seems to have improved a little..."_

Lucy gaped at this small grin, she simply couldn't believe it. Out of all the things that were said, she was the one who got a reaction out of him, and a positive one at that. She was actually helping Napstablook to get better, while staying herself. She turned to her gaping sibs, who when noticing her looking at them, gave encouraging smiles and a couple of thumbs ups. Lucy was touched by that, but it was when she looked at **Luan** that she knew what she had to try next.

With a little more determination in her glimmering SOUL, she took a small breath and adressed Napstablook again. "Hey, wanna hear a joke ?"

"um, sure..." nodded Napstablook shyly.

"What does the undead do when they either hear a good joke, or horrible news ?"

"uh... i don't know..."

" _They roll in their graves._ "

(* _Slow and creepy Rimshot_ *)

A gust of icy wind slipped along the Louds' backs, making them shiver at the morbidity of that one joke. Luan herself had delivered a couple of grim jokes before, but never to that level.

Lucy felt a lone trickle of sweat slip along her own back, wondering if she hadn't gone a bit too far with this one. She had gotten that one from Haiku, who had gotten it from her undertaker uncle. The guy was surprisingly friendly, both to the living and to the corpses.

But the joke proved to be a surprising hit too, as Napstablook chuckled again. "heh heh... pretty nice joke... my **cousins** used to share jokes too..."

"My sister Luan has the job of spreading humour around our house. She does it fine, even if her brand is questionnable at times." explained Lucy, earning a "Hey !" from said buck-toothed comedian.

* _"The humour from beyond the grave seems to keep improving Napstablook's mood."_

Napstablook shifted akwardly, feeling just as akward, but actually got the courage of looking at Lucy while speaking, though not in the eye yet. "you know some great poetry... do you like art and stuff..?"

"Nothing is greater than art." answered Lucy with a great deal of honesty. "It's a way of showing what you are inside, to pour the contents of your Soul on a white page, a blank disk, or an empty canvas."

"oh..." said Napstablook rather meekly, nontheless impressed by her response. The ghost took a pause for thought. If she liked art, then perhaps he could share...

Feeling like doing something, a feeling he hadn't felt since a certain bleak day of his life, Napstablook (completely) turned to the little spooky princess. "hey, i'd like to show you something... do you wanna see..? i understand if you don't, no pressure..."

Not only acknowledging that she was getting through to him, Lucy also felt genuinely curious by the ghost's request. With both in mind, Lucy put on her quite rare smile. "Sure, go ahead."

Napstablook looked a bit surprised, like he wasn't expecting that answer. "oh... okay then, just a second..." He took a deep breath, and began... to cry. Worry appeared on the Louds' faces for an instant, before noticing that the drop-shaped tears weren't actually descending on the ground or locking on the human near to them. They were actually defying gravity as a whole, and going upward. Once they reached the top of Napstablook's... being, they began to fuse, tear after tear, slowly modelling a distinct form. And when all tears had been shed, they revealed...

"A hat ?" said Lori.

Indeed, on Napstablook's white form, was now a fancy white top hat, 100% made out of natural ectoplasmic tears. "um, I call it ' _dapper blook_ '. it's a trick i've learned while i was working on my spooktunes. do you like it..?"

Lucy didn't hear Luan's chuckle or Luna respectfully snapping her fingers at the ghost's nickname, all she could do was observe the ghastly conception in front of her with an open mouth and hidden glimmering eyes. She was speechless, honest to goodness speechless.

Napstablook, observing that silence, began to fear the worst. "oh no, you don't like it... i'm sorry... oh noooo..."

"You made art out of sorrow." Lucy breathed, gently squeezing her SOUL as her organic heart proceeded to beat a little faster. "You used the very symbol of your despair and sadness, and you shaped it into a form of physical art." She was beyond impressed at this point, admiring the headwear like she had looked at Rocky for the very first time. "I... I have no words."

Napstablook blinked. "oh... so, you do like it ?"

Lucy closed her mouth, gave a genuine smile, and nodded firmly. "I adore it. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."

Napstablook's cheeks somewhat reddened by this comment. "wow... gee, nobody ever said about me, except my cousin..." He felt even more akward now, yet somehow happy, as a tiny smile managed to stick on his face. "it's funny, I always come to this place because few people come around here... yet today, i'm meeting someone really nice..." He suddenly realized something. "oh yeah, i never asked. you know my name, but what's yours..?"

"Lucy." she curtly bowed her head. "Lucy Loud is my name. And it's a pleasure to talk to you. I've talk to many spirits before, but you're the first I feel I can truly relate to."

"wow, you mean that..?" murmured Napstablook. Lucy nodded, and his smile got a teensy bit bigger. "heh, it's kinda funny... i wasn't sure if it was worth getting out of bed this morning... but now, i'm glad i did." He looked directly at her. "because i got to meet you."

Lucy felt her cheeks heat up at this praiseful declaration, given by an undead moreover. With a small chuckle, she returned the courtesy. "Well, I can say that out of all the obstacles life has been constantly throwing at me, you're proving to be one of the most pleasant." She gazed at him just as throughly and, in spite of her usual self, just as warmly. "I'm very glad to have met you too."

The heartwarming sight of the two fountains of gloom smiling at eachother elected a few 'd'awws' from the sisters, even getting a tear out of some of them, including the sole brother, who couldn't be more proud of his little sister at the moment. Then, the voice spoke through him again.

* _"Action 'Lucy' was successful. Napstablook seems to be feeling much better, and has no ill intent anymore. Towards you or himself."_

"You said it, dude." sniffed Luna, banishing a tear from her cheek.

Knowing what that meant, Lincoln hit the MERCY option. And with a smile, he pressed the yellow **_Spare_** option.

* _YOU WON !_

 **Fight over.**

{Music stops}

The human SOULs flew back to their masters, and Napstablook's hat disappeared. Assuming a neutral face again, though not as plagued with gloom, Napstablook approached Lucy to say good-bye. "well, thanks for talking to me... it was nice, i'd like to do it again someday..."

"Me too. Perhaps the universe will for once feel merciful, and let our roads cross again in the future." said Lucy, offering a hand to shake.

Not wanting to be impolite, Napstablook extended a stubby white appendage to her, and shook her hand. While doing that, he also left a little pouch in it, which was making a little jingling sound. "here. It's not much, but it could help you... maybe ? maybe not ? if not, you can always keep it, and do what you want with it... as a souvenir, you know..."

Lucy nodded, and gratefully accepted the gift. "Thanks."

"it's nothing much, but maybe it'll help. or not... well, i'll get out of your way now." Napstablook began to disappear, but not before adressing a soft "see you again soon... _Lucy_."

The little goth stared a moment at where the ghost had phased out of existence, not feeling his presence anymore. Lucy felt all giddy inside. Out of all the spiritual encounters that she had made over the years, this one had certainly been the most interesting, no offense to Abraham Lincoln or Great-grandma Harriet.

Dare she admitted it... the ghost had managed to move her heart. Which of course, at this point, she was forced to admit that she had one.

She was quickly pulled back to reality when her siblings circled her, giving her pats on the backs and affectionate hair ruffles.

"Great work Luce !"

"Yeah, that was awesome !"

"Thoroughly admirable."

"You go, girl !"

Amongst all the showering of praise, Lincoln managed to slip close to his sister, giving her a gentle pat on the head and a complice smirk. "Told ya you'd meet someone who thinks the way you think." he chuckled satisfyingly.

Lucy blushed a little, but nodded with a small grin nontheless. For once, Lucy openly felt good about herself. _And she had to admit, it wasn't so bad._

The praise stopped soon enough, yet all eyes remained on Lucy. Or rather, on the small pouch in her hand. "Oooh, what's in it, what's in it ?" Leni bounced with childlike wonder.

Lucy quickly released the bound to find out, and was greeted with a most interesting sight. No less than fifteen golden coins. Lola was quickly subdued for the safety of all present.

Luan gave a small whistle. "Whelp, he may be a ghost, but he certainly has a _heart of gold_ !" she guffawed.

"Haha, hilarious Luan." Lori laughed sarcastically. "But once again, **I** am the one who takes care of the finances. And while I'm sure you're a bit more careful with the money you have, I can't privilege anyone." she extended her hand.

" _Sigh_. Again, my heart is left wounded for the so-called greater good." recited Lucy with her usual cheerlessness. She turned to the oldest Loud present. "Still, can I ask to keep the bag and _one_ coin, please ?"

Lori was a bit confused at her sister's demand. She thought of being strict at first, but then she remembered the adorable scene that had played a minute ago. She knew she could be ruthless at times, but there was a fine limit to it. "Alright, fair deal. But I keep the rest." she said, quickly swiping the fourteen golden coins and tucking them into her shorts' pockets.

"We're getting filthy rich in no time dudes !" Luna gave her rock pose.

"Eww, I didn't know money was dirty ! Do I need to take a shower or something ?" wondered the naive blonde.

"Well, now that Saddy McGloompants is out of the way, that means we can continue !" announced Lola, pointing at the two roads in front of them. "And I say we go straight forward first !"

"Toriel did say there was only one way to her house. So if we pick it wrong, we can just go back." commented Lincoln, earning approving nods from the others. "Let's giddy up then ! To Toriel's house !"

All cheered, and finally went forward for their quest. But one noticeable difference in the way they were proceeding, was that Lucy was no longer dragging her feet at the tail of the group. She was among her family, keeping her shoulders just as straight.

* * *

The next room was fairly small, and moreover lacking another way to go. But though it was a dead end, the room was not empty. It contained a small wooden sign, as well as two small holes in the wall, that were covered by two-

"Spiderwebs !" cried out Leni, immediately panicking upon seeing the territory marks of her worst terror. She immediately ducked behind her siblings for protection, who all felt either annoyed or sympathetic.

"Leni, calm down. Again, unless the spiderwebs are your size, those spiders will not try to eat you." chided Lori.

Leni however, was not convinced. "Oh yeah ? Well Lisa told me that not only the little ones are the most dangerous, but also that there are spiders so big, they can eat birds !" she accused, diving back behind Luna.

All pointedly looked at the genius, who simply shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, she wanted to know. How could I have accounted that her short-term memory would actually remember that information ?"

Lincoln shook his head, and decided to investigate the wooden sign. He did a double-take, and looked at it again to be sure he had read it right.

Lana gave him a look. "Well bro, what does it say ?" she asked, getting impatient.

"...'Spider Bake Sale. Hot and delicious eight-legged pastries. All proceeds go to real spiders.'" the orange-shirted boy read. There was a moment of silence, and Lincoln felt forced to add, "This is not a joke by the way."

"Spider... pastries ?" blinked Luan. "That... sounds oddly adorable."

Leni gripped the comedian by the shoulders, and adopted serious Leni mode. "Don't be fooled by their promises of sugar, Luan. It's a trap, a trap I tell you !" she yelled, her twitchy eye greatly unnerving her bronze-haired little sister.

"Okay, even I can tell you need to chill." said Lynn, massaging Leni's shoulders until she released Luan. The thirteen year-old was surprisingly good in the practice of massages, though you weren't guaranteed a benign one for about 80% of them.

"Spider Bake Sale ? I don't see any spider, how does that work ?" wondered Lola.

"You need to put Gold on the webs, and they'll bring you the stuff." replied Lucy, crouching before the small one. "That's not a theory, it's actually written in the silk." she pointed out, her finger delicately passing above the words swiftly engraved in the small threads of the web. "'Spider Donut for 7 Gold'..."

"And '18 Gold for a jug of Spider Cider'." finished Lori, crouching before the bigger web while Lily tugged at it with a coo.

"Yeesh, paying actual gold for one donut ?" said Lynn, still on 'keeping Leni from bouts of anti-spider paranoia' duty.

"Perhaps Gold is a simple currency down here." analyzed Lisa. "Though that would mean there is a lot more, and that does raise the question of why nobody even thought of looking for it inside for all those years. Perhaps the legends were at work here, and not necessarily in the way we think..."

"Yeah yeah, less talkie, more pastries !" blurted Lana. Her six year-old metabolism had heard there was sugar afoot, so she wanted in fast.

"Yeah, but we can't exactly buy one donut each." argued Lori, remembering how much they did get from the monsters they had encountered. "That would cost us about... 77 Gold ! And we only have 19 !"

"We could always split one of them. Lisa still have her ruler, and Luna her emergency guitar mediator. And we keep the other one for later." proposed Lincoln.

He met an almost unanimous approval, save for Leni, still mumbling something about distrustful spiders, and Lori who blushed a little for not having thought of this first. "I-I was about to propose that, thank you very much." she attempted to salvage her pride. She sorted the right number of coins in her hand, gave Lily to Luna, and approached the small web. But just when she was about to place the Monster currency on it, a small light blue spider crawled out of the hole, looking at the giant blond human in front of them with their five sparkly eyes. Lori felt herself mellow at this sight of cuteness, but kept herself in check. "Um, hello. Are you still selling donuts ?"

"They sell lies, Lori. Lies and... other bad stuff !" Leni hissed like a grumpy cat.

Lori decided to completely ignore that, and instead looked at the tiny spider giving a small nod. "Well, we'd like two please." And she dropped off the coins on the web. A couple of purple spiders came along on them and collected the _dough_ , while the blue one went back in the hole, and came back five seconds later with two purple glazed _dough_ nuts (* _Rimshot_ *).

Lori smiled, and gave a small bow. "Thank you very much." The spider returned the bow, and zipped back inside the wall. She handed one of the donuts to Lisa. "Alright, it's all yours Lis'. Just remember to be **precise**."

Lisa rearranged her glasses with a small huff. "Your doubting remarks hurt my person, dear sistriarch. With my geometric knowledge and Luna's dexterity, I see very few chances for this operation to be a failure."

"Yeah, what she said." sang-song Luna, confidently spinning her purple mediator on the tip of her index. Lisa sorted her ruler, and began to make little pencil marks on the ground, showing where exactly Luna had to cut. Once she was done, it was up to our favourite rock chick, who slowly and carefully worked her magic, as if she was defusingf a time bomb.

Well, in a big family like the Louds, it was pretty much the same thing, especially since the lesson they learned over the Sharon DeMonet incident. Thankfully though, the donut proved easy to slice, offering little resistance despite the crust looking so fresh. Soon enough, eleven pieces, even as can be, had been cut out.

As all took their own piece, Lincoln noticed there was still one on the ground. Huffing, he picked it up and turned to his still pouting sister. "Leni, don't you want some donut ?" he proposed, waving the bit under her nose. Both surprisingly and unsurprisingly, she backhanded her brother's hand off her face.

"Eww, I'm not eating that, it was made by spiders ! It must tastes like flies or something !" maintained Leni grumpily.

"Aw man, now I really wanna eat it !" said Lana, excitedly licking her lips.

"Leni, you're being silly." chided Lincoln. But Leni pouted still, looking the other way with her arms crossed. Lincoln knew that there was only one thing to do now. "Look, if that makes you happy, I'll eat mine first. That way, you can be sure it's not poisonned or fly-flavoured."

He quickly did so, popping the donut bit in his mouth. Leni let out a soft gasp at his bravado, watching his every 'munch' with slight worry for her brother.

Lincoln, however, quickly perked up at the taste. "Hey, this is pretty good ! Can't place the taste, but it's kinda like jelly !"

The sisters, sans Leni, were suddenly very interested, and quickly gorged their bits. Ranging 'hmms' of delight echoed, all indicating that the pastry was an unanimous hit.

"Hmm, I gotta say, these spiders know how to make their pastries pretty _sweet_." chuckled Luna.

"Hey, you stole that one !" Luan pointed out indignantly, but she quickly added, "You could at least say you're _sour_ ry, hehe."

Lisa went into a thorough analysis. "It's quite the acquired taste, a bit like the candies from before. No complaints to be made though."

"Well, it's not fly-flavoured, but it's still good. The jam's pretty gooey anyway." commented Lana, savouring the sugar rolling on her tongue.

Seeing her siblings enjoying their treats, Leni became curious of what it could taste like. So she gently took her piece from Lincoln, and tentatively put it in her mouth, like a kid would do with a brussel sprout.

And once it touched her tongue, Leni realized that they were right, and perked up. "Omigosh, this is so tasty ! Yummm !" she intoned jovially, gently squeezing her puffed cheeks.

The siblings gulped their donut shares, and patted their stomachs. Suddenly, they felt a wave of relief overcoming them, eerily familiar to Lincoln and Leni. Sure enough, the Louds' bruises disappeared, and their _HP bars_ were brought back to normal.

"Ouchy gone !" giggled Lily on the ground, even though she hadn't suffered any damage.

"Right you are, younger sibling of mine." commended Lisa to her roommate. She of course began to excitedly scribble down this new finding in terms of monster particularities. "The properties of this place are simply smashing. I'm piling up breakthroughs one after the other !"

"That's pretty neat. But what do we do with the other donut ?" inquired Lola.

"Let's just cut it again. That way, we can each carry a piece for when we are hungry." simply said Lincoln.

Lori pratically growled this time. Was he ever gonna let her get a word in edgeways ?! But she didn't let it show, and simply approved with a smileless nod. The only one noticing this contrast was Lily, who looked up a bit worryingly at her oldest sister. To comfort her, she beckoned her with a coo. Lori reacted accordingly and scooped her up. Lily then proceeded to give her a face hug. It successfully managed to get Lori out of her funk, as she returned it with a small chuckle.

After putting their freshly cut bits in their pockets, the Louds proceeded with their quest to reach Toriel's house.

* * *

After going back to the Napsta-room, and seeing that the ghost had not returned (" _Sigh..._ " Lucy... well, sighed), they went the other way.

The new room was way larger, the path going to the right. Three Froggits were sitting down near that path, calmly looking at the wall in front of them. There also was a wooden sign welcoming them as soon as they entered.

But it quickly became an object of panic once the sibings, one by one, read it. The only one who didn't get that chance was Leni, still contently rubbing her stomach in the back. "You know, maybe I was like, wrong about those spiders. They may be all icky, but they also make totes good donuts." she beamed. Her grin fell into confusion when she saw her siblings all huddling and looking at her with tight and nervous smiles, as though they were hiding something. It was so obvious, even Leni picked it up. "Are you hiding something from me ?" she asked with suspicion, hands on her hips.

Lynn 'casually' dismissed her with a wave of her hand. "Pshh, of course n-not. That's crazy talk, and you're not crazy, hehe..." she said, trying her best to avoid her blonde sister's gaze, which only scrunched up at the jock's very unconvincing performance.

Lola then got an idea. "Uh, it's just a wooden sign telling us that we need to go right to continue ! But since you already knew that, we decided it was no use bothering you with it." she lied with a big grin. The others immediately supported it.

Leni blinked, then flashed her blissfully ignorant smile. "Oh, okay ! Tell thanks to the nice sign for me !" With that said, she went along the path, humming a little tune to herself.

Once she was far enough, the siblings sighed in relief, and removed themselves from the front of the sign. Reading it, it became pretty clear why they had lied to their innocent teen sister.

" _Spider Bake Sale, don't miss it, down on the left. Fresh and crispy pastries made by spiders, for spiders, **of** **spiders**."_

"We never say anything to Leni. **Ever.** " stressed Lori, to which the others nodded. Some of them still felt a bit sick over having eaten spiders, even though according to Lisa, they must've been dead. They certainly hoped so.

Quickly, they caught up to Leni, who was speaking the first Froggit. "Hey Froggie. Can _you_ speak ?"

The Froggit nodded wisely. "Ribbit. Say, humans, did you know Monster Food is a great way to heal yourself ?"

"Yeah, we kinda already found out, dude." shrugged Luna.

"Oh, good. But do you know that all foods do not have the same healing effect ?" pursued the Froggit, a sparkle in his eye.

The siblings were surprised. They did not know that. Curious, Lincoln sorted his donut piece, and upon looking at it, spoke with an echo again.

* _"Spider Donut bit, worth 4 HP. Sharing the food certainly seems to improve its effects, if you can cut it. Maybe with a_ knife _."_

Froggit nodded their head again. "Food is useful for trips. That, everyone knows ! Ribbit."

"Thanks !" said the siblings, then they trudged towards the next Froggit.

"Ribbit. They say the story tends to go faster if a Review is left to enjoy. So... always give your advice on things made by others ?" articulated the monster, not sure of what they had just said themselves. They sighed, "I think I should stop staring at that wall. Ribbit."

The siblings raised an eyebrow, Lana giving the frog monster a small comforting pat on the head. They quickly went towards the third Froggit, but before they could get there, they collectively tripped on something on the ground.

"Ouch ! Watch where you're all going !" barked Lynn, jumping back on her feet.

"The probability of all of us simply falling over due to mere clumsiness at the same time is inferior to 0.0037%." grunted Lisa, trying to push the larger form of Luan off her. "Something obviously made us trip."

"Or fate is simply cruel that way." quipped Lucy. Then she spotted forms moving on the ground. "Oh, something did make us trip. Never mind."

The Louds looked at the forms, and blinked. Their leg-trippers were... giant lime-green jellos, making bubbling sounds as they moved on their own. Lisa slowly brought two fingers to her temples, and rubbed them just as slowly. "Big living piles of jello. Sure, _why not_ ?" she grumbled.

Before any further question could be asked, the children's SOULs came out.

 **Fight engaged !**

*" _You've tripped upon a line of Moldsmals. You should watch your step better than that."_

"Ouch !" yelped Lincoln upon receiving a sharp elbow nudge from Lynn. "What was that for ?! It wasn't me !"

Lynn realized her mistake, and smiled sheepishly. "Oops, hehe. Sorry Lincoln."

Rolling his eyes, Lincoln selected the ACT. He raised an eyebrow in seeing the monster's name already **yellow** , but decided to brush it off, and pressed the _Check_ option.

* _"Moldsmal. ATK 6, DEF 0. A_ ** _curvaceous_** _body, but not an ounce of brain."_

"Curvaceous ? Well, I suppose they are quite _jiggly_." sniggered Luan. Her roommate however, frowned at her.

"Too soon dude, too soon." said Luna, pointing at the sisters below Lincoln's age. Luan whistled innocently in response.

"* _Splorch_ *" blubbered the Moldsmals, before letting out tiny bubbles in direction of the Loud kids. Before getting too close, they blew up like tiny fireworks, projecting eight smaller bubbles in eight directions. And while the Louds were busy dodging for their SOULs' sakes, they immediately fired another round. One did manage to touch Lucy, who barely winced with a dry "Ouch". No important damages though, just 2 _HP_ off.

Their turn over, the jello-like monsters resumed their ruminating and mindless bouncing, which began to amuse the baby of the group.

"Hmm, they don't look very smart." commented Lincoln, scratching his head. "Not sure how we're going to get a message across them."

"Music's the universal language dude." said Luna with her usual chill tone, then sighed in disappointement. "If only I had brought my axe, or my acoustic guitar. Or even my harmonica."

"I know many forms of languages, but I'm afraid even sign language is going to be inefficient here." lisped Lisa. "But it seems my sole cadet sister might have an idea."

"Huh ?" said a confused Lori, noticing that Lily was squirming in her hands. "You've got an idea ?"

"Poo-poo !" babbled the diaper-only baby, nodding her little head.

Lori felt hesitant. She knew Lily was a smart and crafty baby, but if she was to ever get hurt because of her decision, the eldest blonde would never forgive herself. But when Lily put on the puppy-eye technique that she had learned directly from her, Lori had no choice but to let Lily do her thing.

She thus put Lily down on the ground, and looked as she waddled towards the monsters. Acting on instinct, Lincoln pressed ACT, and saw the new option unlocked by his littlest sister, " _Communicate_ ". He pressed it and, just like his sisters, readied himself to rush to the toddler's rescue if things were to turn sour.

Lily, on the other hand, held no fear whatsoever, as she put herself in front of the Moldsmals. She patted them once, their bounciness making her giggle. Then, in order to either communicate or simply have fun, Lily began to wiggle her body, making up her own little dance, laughing all the way.

And her dance proved to be quite insightful to the simple-minded attackers, who began to wiggle back, which only prompted Lily to continue. Meanwhile, the siblings observed the scene with great amusement and joy.

"That is litteraly the most precious thing I've ever seen." Lori squealed, taking a photo with her own cell phone.

"It's so adorable, I can already feel the diabetes coming." joked Luan, though she held her heart tight. No joyful baby video on the net could replace seeing it in real life.

"It goes against everything I believe in, and yet I can't look away." mumbled Lucy somberly. "There is great power within her, a terrifying one perhaps."

"Don't know about that, but she's certainly got some rhythm." chuckled Luna, tapping her foot to create a beat. The dancers picked it up, and started dancing accordingly.

Lily was having the time of her life. It was fairly easy for her to get to that level of fun, and she loved that. However, after much waddling, her knees demanded a break, and let her fall on her tushie, halting the dancing. The Moldsmals stopped dancing and the siblings gasped a little, thinking it would upset her enough to cry. But she proved stronger than that, and began to wiggle on her butt instead. The monsters happily resumed their jiggling, still following their little fleshy pal.

"Gagblptxxx." babbled Lily, clapping as she made small bubbles with her mouth. Moldsmals replied likewise, bubbles escaping their gelatinious forms.

But they did not just float about like Lily's, those were attacks ! They proved it by immediately heading towards the Humans' SOULs. None dared to take the happy baby as target, but the other siblings weren't as lucky. Fortunately, the moderate pace combined with the fact that they were getting used to dodging, allowed the Louds to successfully move out of the way, preventing any damage.

Oblivious to the assault – which probably applied for both human and monsters – Lily waved at the monsters, indicating that she had to go now. The monsters looked a bit disappointed, but they then told her that they had a great time in their own way. By wobbling forward and rubbing themselves affectionally against her, purring like cats. Lily was hysteric with giggles, their masses tickling her.

* _"This meaningful conversation has enlightened the Moldsmals."_

This elected a chuckle from the humans, and gave Lincoln the chance to for a **_Spare_**.

* _YOU WON ! You've obtained 0 EXP and 3 Gold._

 **Fight Over.**

The Moldsmals glowed a little, then let the baby be, sliming their way somewhere else. Lori picked up Lily, and her face scrunched up when she felt the slime the monsters had left on her baby sister. She sorted a handkerchief from her pocket, and began to wipe it off Lily's face, who wriggled and moaned disapprovingly.

"I'm glad you've made new friends Lily, but I am not holding you if you're covered in that icky stuff." huffed Lori sternly. Lily stopped moving, but kept expriming her discontentment vocally.

"I hear ya, sis." Lana solemnly nodded, patting her little leg.

Once Lily was clean and proper again, the siblings went to their original intention, the third Froggit.

"Ribbit. Why hello there, humans." warmly greeted the frog monster. "Say, I've been observing that battle, and you seem to be quite the merciful kind, am I right ?"

"Well, we try." said Luan, slightly boasting.

"Hmm, then surely you know that when a monster's name becomes **yellow** , it means that you can _**Spare**_ them."

Lincoln's eyes widened in realization. "Oooh, that's what it means !" he exclaimed, lightly slapping his forehead.

"Indeed." nodded the Froggit to the boy. "Useful, isn't it ? That way, you know when a battle can finally be aborted. To _Spare_ is saying you won't fight, and if both parties don't want to, there is no reason to let the battle go on."

"Yeah, it's better to walk off shaking hands than with teeth missing." jested Lola, pointing to the gap in her own teeth, making everyone snicker.

Before letting them go, the Froggit added, "Knowing that _Sparing_ is an action, and not a lack of action, is the key to avoid conflict. Who knows ? **Maybe at some point, you'll have to** _ **Spare**_ **someone whose name** _ **isn't**_ **yellow."**

* _Ring, ring_ *

The siblings were a bit startled by the sudden noise coming from Lori's shorts pocket. The phone was fished out, and the expected voice of Toriel came out. "Hello, it is Toriel again. I wanted to ask, do one of you have any allergy ? Dust, cotton, any aliment in particular ?"

"Hello, Goat Mother." greeted Lisa, earning a tiny happy squeal from Toriel. "I made a little list of those allergies in the past, that I've perfectly memorized. Lori, Luna, Lincoln, Lucy, Lola, Lana, and Lily do not hold any particular allergy. For Leni, avoid any grape-based aliment. For Luan, no peanuts. Tulips are better to not be in Lynn's presence. And for the love of anything precious on this planet, do NOT feed me anything that might contain blueberries. The results would be less than pleasant."

"Ha ! I remember last time we gave her one by mistake ! She blew up like a balloon, and Cliff and Charles made her roll around the house for ten solid minutes until we finally stopped you from bouncing !" guffawed Lynn. "I even gave you a kick by reflex !"

"And to this day, my gluteus maximus can still feel it." grumbled Lisa, not very happy to be reminded of this humiliating episode of her life. "At least it's not as bad as the blotches and pimples that Leni gained when she gobbled that raisin muffin."

Leni shivered intensly. "Oooh, I don't want to remember that. I was just... just... eww !" she flailed her arms in disgust.

"Well alright. It's a chance that I have none of those things. Thank you for your help, Lisa." praised the woman.

"Glad to be of assistance." smiled Lisa, feeling quite proud of herself.

"In the meantime, if any item on your journey catches your interest, you can pick it up, but do not take too much. You might one day see something that really pleases you, and you'll want to leave a little space in your pockets for those. By the way, are you getting close ?"

"Well, we've just passed the Spider Bake Sale if that's any indication." said Lori.

Toriel audibly grinned. "Ah, you _are_ getting quite close. Perhaps you'll be here before I'm done. In any case, I'll see you very soon children. Be good, alright ?"

"Yes Goat Mom !" chanted the siblings in unison. Toriel giggled, and hung up.

"Welp, that was nifty." chirped Luna with that grin of hers. "Let's get movin', dudes !"

The siblings waved good-bye to the helpful Froggit, and exited the room.

* * *

The next room was a bit puzzling (* _Rimshot_ *). Quite large, it contained an exit blocked by spikes, writing on the wall just next to them, and six highlighted cracked tiles. "Looks like another puzzle room." decreed Lincoln. The siblings' eyes went of course to the writing on the wall first.

" _Only one switch you'll find in this room._ "

"Um, what does that mean ?" asked Lana, scratching the top of her cap.

"No doubt that this is more of a 'right-or-retry' kind of challenge." analyzed Lisa. "One of six rooms underneath have the lever we need to proceed, but who knows what the other ones contain. Of course at this point, it can be assumed that it's nothing too lethal."

"Kind of like a non-dangerous **Russian Roulette**." quipped Lucy.

Lori, Luna, Luan, and Lincoln gave heated glares to the black-haired girl's roommate, who immediately raised her hands in defense. "It came out once by accident, I swear !" blabbered Lynn. She quickly tried to change the subject. "So, which hole first ?" she asked. A good question, as nothing hinted that one was a better choice than the other.

"Well, let's do it in order. Up and down, then left to right, until we find the lever." rationalized Lori. They thus approached the one closest to the entrance, poked at it, and all jumped in it, one at the time this time.

They landed on some leaves, and quickly saw that the room was lever-less. Wrong choice. But the room wasn't completely empty, as in addition to the way up, there was a small green leaf sticking out of the ground.

"Oooh, wonder what kind of plant it is." wondered Leni, immediately pulling the leaf a bit. Suddenly, the plant extracted itself from the ground, revealing a big carrot with a face seemingly frozen in a permanent smirk. "Eeep !" the fashionista yelped as she jumped back to where her siblings were, not feeling too keen about smiling plants since a certain incident about .

"Well, looks like things are getting _veggie_ interesting !" Luan chortled, as the rainbow of SOULs came forth.

 **Fight Engaged !**

* _"Vegetoid jumps out of the ground !"_

Warily eyeing the grinning plant, Lincoln went for a quick _Check_ first.

* _"Vegetoid. ATK 6, DEF 6. Sane all around, provides all the necessary nutriments of a meal for one."_

"Those were not the kind of statistics I was expecting." admitted Lisa with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, and he's not looking very fresh either." added Lola, referring to his dark yellow colour.

"Part of a complete breakfast, lunch, or dinner." softly cackled the vegetable monster. Out of his leaves, big white vegetables appeared, taking to the ceiling to rain on the children. Not getting touched by them proved to be a tad difficult, given the small space they were encased in.

"I really hope we meet an ice-cream monster on the way." fantasized Lincoln as he dodged around.

"Think less about your stomach, and more about your survival !" rebuked Lynn, blurting an "Oof !" as she took a giant ear of corn on the top of the head, taking 3 _HP_ away from her.

The rain finally ended, and the siblings regrouped for their turn. "Hmm, if he's so concerned about our health, maybe we can talk him out of completely ruin it." proposed Luna, a tad cynically.

The others nodded, and Lincoln pressed ACT, choosing the ' _Talk_ ' option. Lisa had the floor, being the one who knew the most about health, having even performed some surgery before. She fished one of her pencils out, as well as her notebook.

"Greetings, sir or madam Vegetoid. Could you share with me the kind of nutriments you are thinking of ? I have a sneaking suspicion that the ones you are to aim at us are quite nefarious for our health in general, and I thus can get you to reconsider your ways of producing sustenance."

The plant was silent for a couple of seconds, before replying, a tad condescendingly, "Plants can't talk, silly."

* _"Vegetoid is full of vitamins and snark."_

The small genius froze, her eyes widened, then twitched, and she snapped her pencil in two. She stomped back to her siblings with a heavy scowl. "I'm sorry, but I am NOT putting up with that infuriating attitude." she growled. Seeing her distress, Leni proceeded to hug her and calmly rub her back, which she angrily but gratefully accepted.

Still harbouring his dirt-eating smile, Vegetoid sent forth another vegetable-based attack. Only instead of raining on the kids, they wildly bounced around the room. Luna yelped as one bumped her in the back, and Lincoln as well when he took one in the face, leaving a mark on his forehead.

Once the attack was over, leaving the Louds to decide another action, Lynn began to sniff the air, an odd smell carressing her nostrils. It smelled like, ironically, steamed vegetables. This got a bit of mouth watering from the athlete. While meatball subs were her guilty pleasure, the athlete knew to keep a strict diet, and her father could do a mean veggie casserole.

Lincoln noticed his sister licking her lips, but he also noticed the Vegetoid looking quite pleased by that gesture. A lightbulb was switched on in his head. "Guys, I think I've got an idea." he said, catching his sisters' attention. "Lynn, when I press the button, mime to the Vegetoid that you'd like some food. That might get some reaction out of him."

Lynn raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Alright bro, y'know what you're doing."

Lincoln flashed a thumbs up, and pressed ACT. The option ' _Lunch_ ' had appeared, and was promptly pressed. Lynn immediately rubbed her stomach, and hungrily smacked her lips.

Vegetoid perked up on that. "Eat your _Greens_ !" they cackled. New round of attack, with bouncing vegetables again.

But in the midst of the dodging, Lynn's trained eye spotted the odd one of the jumping vegetable garden. A green bean plant that was actually green. Not only that, but the shade reminded Lynn of the fire Toriel had used to heal Lincoln. The wires immediately connected in her mind, and she grinned. "Ah, I see how it is." Knowing that she had to be quick, she immediately turned to both of her artistic sisters. "Luna, Luan, I need a lift to that greenie one, stat !"

The rocker and comedian immediately nodded, and put their arms together as a makeshift springboard. Lynn rushed towards them, stepped on the fleshy platform, and used the momentum given to her to reach the green vegetable. She quickly gobbled it whole, and she had to admit, it was pretty darn tasty. A small feeling of relief washed over her, as the bruise on her belly diminished, and a single _HP_ was given back to her. The attack over, Vegetoid looked immensly pleased at Lynn appreciating his work.

* _"Vegetoid has accomplished their purpose."_

Lincoln, seeing the yellow name, chose MERCY, then _**Spare**_.

* _YOU WON ! You've obtained 0 EXP and 5 Gold."_

 **Fight over.**

"Eat healthy kids !" heartily instructed the monster, who then burrowed himself back in the ground, with nothing sticking out this time.

"Yeesh, talk about force feeding." commented Lola.

"Yeah, but at least the stuff's good and healthy." concurred Lynn, contently patting her stomach.

Lori sighed a little. "Well, that was interesting, but there's no lever here. Let's keep searching."

They went back up using the stairs, and headed south, creating a hole and jumping into it. The choice was unfortunately wrong again, with no lever in sight, but there was something else. It was a small red ribbon, left on the ground. There was some dust on it, and the colour had faded a little bit, but it was still pretty cute.

"Ooh, like, red is not usually my colour, but it's totes adorable !" perked up Leni, very interested in the small accessory. "I call-"

"Dibs !" cut off Lori, who snatched it from the ground. She smirked in Leni's direction. "Sorry, a bit too slow."

The fashionista pouted. "No fair ! Why do you get to keep everything nice ?!"

"Hey, it is adorable, and I did call dibs. Plus, I'm the oldest." she grinned, tying the small ribbon in her hair until it was well in place. She saw Leni still glowering at her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Tell you what. The next cute thing to wear we find ? It's all yours."

Leni's sulky mode ended instantly. "For realsies ?!"

Lori nodded with a grin, feeling proud about herself, but stopped when a weird sensation passed through her whole being. She gasped as she saw her SOUL coming out of her body, thinking there was a monster nearby, or worse, Flowey. No monster or wicked weed appeared though, yet Lori's SOUL was still there.

Suddenly, its cyan aura glowed stronger, and it somehow made Lincoln's red SOUL come out, much to the surprise of the boy. A small part of its outline was shining brighter than the others, a cyan part of it of all things. Then, the cyan glows halted, but the crimson center of Lincoln's SOUL began to glow in its turn. The girls, confused of this developpement, gasped in surprise when their SOULs appeared as well, and the strangest thing was that their red outlines were pulsating, almost like a heartbeat, making the Louds feel funny all over. And after a couple of seconds, it just stopped, the SOULs simply returning to their owners like nothing had happened.

"What, the _hedgehog_ , was that ?" mouthed Lori, not freaked out enough to forget about her language in the presence of her younger siblings.

Her answer came, of course, from Lincoln's dual voice. His red pupils were shining a little brighter this time :

* _"You've equipped the Faded Ribbon. Team DEF has increased of 2. Having a cute member in your group might make the monsters hit less harder."_

The seventeen year-old blinked at this weird explanation, then gave a small chuckle of pride. "Y'know Lincoln, I'll hand one thing to whoever's talking through you, he's got good tastes." she boasted, giving her blond hair a small 'whoosh' effect with her hand. Some dared to quietly snicker, but were promptly shut up by a swift death glare that promised dread and torment.

"Team _DEF_ ? I remember that the spirit haunting our brother said that last word every time he reviewed a monster over." crowed Lucy.

"Yeah, and what was that weird biz with our SOULs ?" Lana's brow scrunched in confusion. Too much questions were piling up for the small tomboy to stay focused. "Urgh, when you think you've got it all figured out, more weird stuff happens and get you all confused again."

"Sis, I think we're far from seeing the weirdest stuff yet." chuckled Lincoln, patting her head in a sign of support.

"Anyhow, no lever here. Let's bounce." shrugged Lynn, more interested in moving forward.

The siblings approved, and went up again. They decided to continue their exploration by searching the hole next to the one they had just fell in. They quickly descended, looking for the lever. Once again, Wrong Choice, but the room still had a resident. It was none other than-

"Napstablook ?" intoned Lucy, surprised to meet her ghost friend again so soon. The gloomy spirit was lying on a pile of leaves again, only this time he wasn't pretending to be asleep, as he rolled over a bit to look at the humans that had just joined him.

"oh... hi guys." he whispered with his usual slight echo. "fancy meeting you here..."

"Uh, yeah, us too." said Lola with a raised eyebrow. "Say, just asking, what are you doing down here ?"

Napstablook gave a long sigh, and rolled again to look at the ceiling. "i fell down the hole, and i can't get up... just go on without me, I don't want to be a drag to you..."

Leni scratched her head, feeling more confused than usual. "But, like, there's a staircase right here." she pointed at the way out.

"i don't have the will to climb them, too many steps." he explained, his quiet voice clearly backing up his statement. "guess this is where i'll be living from now on..."

While Lisa facepalmed at the cruel flaw of his woeful speech, Lucy decided to adress it. She kneeled to Napstablook's level, and spoke with a monotone, yet straight-to-the-point voice.

"Napstablook."

"hmm..?"

"You're a ghost, Napstablook."

"and..?"

"Ghosts can fly, Napstablook."

A moment of akward silence. "oh yeah..." drawled the monster, blinking in slight realisation. "well then... see ya." And he thus floated upwards, disappearing through the ceiling. Unfazed, Lucy simply waved him good-bye.

"Well, that happened." quipped Luan. Her face then gained a sly grin. "He certainly didn't think that one _through_ ! Hahaha, get it ? 'Cause he's a ghost ?"

The siblings noisely groaned, indicating that **yes** , they had gotten it. Their search for the lever proceeded, by heading to the hole above them. For the fourth time, they jumped in.

And this one proved to be the Correct Choice. "HURRAY !" cheered the siblings, Lynn immediately pulling the lever down. A * _Shlak_ * sound was heard upstairs, indicating that the spikes were in the way no more.

On the demand of the more curious siblings, the two remaining holes were explored, to see if something else was waiting for them. One contained the peeking leaf of a Vegetoid. It was quickly and wisely decided to let them sleep in peace. And the other was empty, nothing even hidden in the leaves. This small mystery cleared up, the Louds could proceed on their trek for Toriel's home.

…

The following room was built in the form of a sharp turn to the right, going upward in a slope. There were large pillars in the room, with strangely-shaped levers of different colours. The Louds picked up a blue one on their left, a green one straight ahead, and a red one closer to the exit, on its left. Speaking of the exit, spike platforms had been placed before it, but the spikes were, strangely enough, already pulled down. And to complete the room, a writing on the wall.

"Lucky ! Someone already solved the puzzle, we can just pass !" hooted Lola, jumping on the spot.

However, Lisa was quick to get her back on the ground. "Not so fast, this is indeed too easy. There is a good probability that this is supposed to be a set-up for the actual puzzle."

"Don't be such a spoil-sport !" huffed the princess. "Sometimes, things are easy, and that's it !"

"Such youthful naivety." Lisa shook her head.

"I'm older than you !"

"Guys, keep it cool." soothed Lincoln, summoning his big brother instincts and successfully ending the impending fight. He even got the two to quickly make up with a genuine handshake.

Luna couldn't help herself but chuckle. "He's really nailing that big brother thing, ain't he ?"

"Yeah, he's **amazing**." droned Lori, putting more remorse in her voice than she would've wished for. Luna was too focused on being proud of her little bro to notice, but Lily did, as she gained an unusual worried look on her face.

Now that the feud had been prematurely ended, the Louds tried going for the writing on their left. However, standing in front of it, was none other than another Moldsmal, going solo this time. Not completely solo though, as a monster came from behind the pillar, and immediately settled its eyes on the humans, its body tensing up as it reared itself up on its two legs. The monster looked like a big cockroach, antennae, little legs, scrawny arms and everything. The insect monster also had a face, which was permanently tightened in an angry sneer.

The human SOULs were summoned forth, and the Louds knew what that meant.

 **Fight engaged !**

* _"Migosp crawls to battle ! Moldsmal is here too."_

"What's with that guy ?" asked Lynn, a little unnerved by the scowl adressed to them by Migosp, like he was trying to give them the stink eye, and a stressful one at that. Lynn replied with a scowl of her own, but it proved ineffective on the monster.

"Lincs ?" called the sisters. Lincoln knew what they wanted, and pressed the _Check_ option.

* _"Migosp. ATK 7, DEF 5. Seems pretty mad, but maybe he just doesn't blend in with the crowd..."_

Luna shook her head knowingly. "Oi, wrong crowds. It messes ya up before you even realize it."

"I still remember those _Dusk_ fangirls entering our club, with their belief of sparkling vampires, thinking they knew the Darkness. But they knew nothing. **Nothing.** " hissed Lucy, clear anger sprinkled on her dry tone, making it arid.

"Blup blup..." 'said' the Moldsmal, slightly wiggling his body.

"YOU WILL KNEEL BEFORE THE OVERMIND !" screeched Migosp, effectively startling the humans.

"Sweet mercy, what's your problem ?!" wheezed Lori, clenching her chest to prevent her organic heart from jumping out of her chest, her SOUL mimicking its fast beating.

"That was even worse than Lucy teleporting !" added Lana. Lucy answered that accusation with a slow head turn and a piercing glare, which made Lana sweat and laugh nervously. The little dirt monkey couldn't actually see the glare, but boy could she feel its coldness.

Moldsmal prepared its bubbles for assault, but this time he was helped by Migosp, who suddenly made two swarms of white flying cockroaches appear on the lefts and rights of the children. They all stepped back, either out of surprise or out of being irked, but quickly noticed that the cockroaches were stationing on the sides. And when Moldsmal shot out his non-explosive bubbles, they understood the swarms' purpose, to restrain their movement.

Though that didn't stop Leni from freaking out each time one would get too close for comfort, which was pretty dang easy. "Eww, Lisa told me that someone in Japan ate a cockroach once, and it laid eggs in his stomach !" she cried out of disgust, and took refuge behind Lynn.

"Seriously, I know it's funny, but stop feeding her all those infos about insects !" exclaimed Lynn to the small genius, who only shrugged in a 'How was I supposed to know she'd remember all that ?' manner.

"Ha, _feeding_ ! Good one sis !" chortled Luan, snapping her knee. But in doing so, she did not notice a bubble sway her way, and when she did, it was already too late. But after yelping because of the slight pain, Luan made a curious discovery. "Uh guys, I've only lost 2 _HP_. Weird, are we getting _two_ good for those guys or what ? Hee hee."

"Ooooh, of course ! _Team DEF_ _ense_ _,_ that's what it meant !" exclaimed Lincoln in sudden understanding, as the jello-insect duo's attack ended. "That's why Lori _equipped_ the ribbon. It counts as armour !"

Lori's brow furrowed. "Seriously ? That little ribbon is considered gear ?" she said, tugging at the small accessory. "I mean, not denying it's cute, but how does it, apparently, reduce the power of magic attacks ?"

"Well, it could be containing some magic of its own." suggested Lisa, slowly coming to settle a certain logic on this magic business, a big effort on her part.

"Maybe it has something to do with its previous owner ?" offered Luna. "An item that neat can't just grow in the wild, you know."

"Well, we are fighting a living dessert and the missing brother fromthat Cockroach cartoon with the blue cat." reminded Lana.

"Good point." admitted Mick Swagger's #1 fan.

"Well that's good and all, but what do we do now ?" said Lola, bringing the siblings back to the battle at hand.

"Well, we could just get rid of jelly guy first. His name is litteraly already yellow." pointed out Lori. But in her arms, Lily suddenly blew a raspberry, expressing her discontentment over the idea. "What's the matter ?" asked the big sister, only getting baby babbles as response.

Luan, specialist in the language of Lily-tin, made the translation. "She says that Moldsmals are nice, and that we should be nice to them in return."

"Poo-poo !" nodded Lily with conviction.

"But Lily, we'll be wasting a turn." Lori attempted to reason. But a simple glance at Lily's stubborn, but adorable pout, she resigned herself, letting her off with a warning. "One day, that little spell of yours is gonna run short of power, and you can bet I'll be the first one to take advantage of it."

Lily giggled and gave her sister a small hug of gratitude, then went to Moldsmal for a little bit more of _Communication_ , option that Lincoln promptly selected. She made a little dance, and Moldsmal followed just like last time. As for Migosp, he observed the display with the same grouchy scowl.

"YOUR LITTLE JIG WON'T HELP YOU, THE HIVE-MIND WILL PREVAIL IN THE END !" spat the insect monster, slightly startling the dancers.

"We happen to find that jig very cute, so shut it !" Lola barked back. Even she knew better than to scorn Lily, who was obliviously resuming her cute little dance.

"Yeah, and what's with the attitude ? Like, be tolerant." huffed Leni in a disapproving tone.

Migosp furrowed his brow, gnashing his words to make them sound swarm-ish. "FILTHY SINGLE-MINDERS... YOUR GROUP HAS NO BONDS, IT WILL SOON DISBAND !" he accused, pratically threatening the Louds.

The Louds didn't get a chance to retort, as another round of attack began, with the exact same methods. This time however, the Louds made themselves flexible enough to dodge all the attacks, and Lily was spared from any assault, probably due to the dancing link she was sharing with the Moldsmal at the moment.

* _"Moldsmal is feeling the burn ! Migosp, not so much."_

Upon hearing the voice, Lincoln reflected on what was said earlier. If the crowd was the problem, then perhaps the best thing to do would be to remove it. The brother felt a bit sorry for Lily, but play time had to be over for his plan to carry on. So he reached the MERCY button and pressed it.

As anticipated, Moldsmal's form glowed to signify his removal from the battle, but Migosp's did not. The gelatin monster gave an affectionate nuzzle to the joyful little girl, and slithered to 'mind' his business elsewhere, leaving only a single piece of gold behind. Lily waddled back to Lori, who promptly wiped the slime off her face.

But the monster's departure certainly had an effect on the remaining monster, who completely dropped his grouchy stance and evil look. His body relaxed, his scrawny little arms began to swing at a rhythm that only he could hear, and a blissful smile overtook his facial features.

"Hmm~, alone time's just the best, ain't it ?" said Migosp in a much quieter and relaxed tone. His next attack was only a small insect, resembling his own form, dancing to an unhearable tempo.

The Louds were quite surprised by this drastic change of attitude. "Man, I know they say that it's 'dangerous to hang out with the wrong crowd', but this is a bit much." piped Luan earnestly.

"Eh, I've witnessed worse cases." shrugged Lisa, having discovered a certain interest in the works of the mind recently ( _If the precedent chapters are any indication..._ ).

"Yeah, but getting all worked out because he wants to be alone ? Who does that ?" huffed Lola a bit mockingly.

The comment, however, rung something in Lincoln's mind. He knew exactly **who'd** do something like that. But while he used the wrong methods, he felt that he could at least do it right with this guy. Lincoln smiled a bit internally. To be the one to teach the lesson felt like an interesting change of pace for the buck-chip-toothed brother.

Lincoln chose the ' _Talk_ ' option from the _ACT_ menu, and advanced towards Migosp, alone. The sisters were a bit surprised, but decided to let him do his thing.

"Hey there." began Lincoln amicably.

"Hiya~." replied Migosp enthusiastically.

"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself."

"Ah, to be who you are, it's the life~."

"Heh, can't argue with that." chuckled the orange-clad human. He then took a more serious tone, "But why the scary face before ? What was so wrong with that Moldsmal being there ?"

That got the monster to stop dancing, and his happy expression dulled. "Nothing's wrong with Moldsmal, it's just the crowd effect. I just don't like being in the spotlight with others."

"Why ?"

Migosp looked sadly at the ground, "I'm afraid that I'll be judged, that everyone will see who I am and how little I have to offer." he explained, twidling his little thumbs. "When I'm alone, nobody can judge me. I can be who I really wanna be."

"Yeah, but it's not as great as it's made out to be." vouched Lincoln.

Migosp blinked and looked up. "How so ?"

"Well, having no one to judge you might feel fine, and it's always important to have some time for yourself, but always keeping everything to yourself kinda pales compared to sharing it with some buddies." the boy smiled. "When you find those pals, the ones that either understand you or share your tastes, it increases the fun tenfold, and you might find more things you like because of them."

"But what if they mock me ?" whimpered Migosp, still a bit recalcitrant about this.

"Mockeries are like those little bits in yogurts : Unbearable at first, but after a while, you just ignore them and swallow them all the same." Lincoln vizualised and shared it with Migosp. "I mean sure, there might be some that will laugh, calling you ridiculous and silly." Lincoln adressed a meaningful look to his sisters, who either blushed, smiled sheepishly, or whistled in faux-innocence. "But you'll find that there are just as much people willing to defend you, or even take a dive for you until you're ready to face said mockeries." he smiled warmly to a certain black-and-white sister, who smiled a little in return. "Besides, if you keep driving everyone away, things might not end so well for you."

"What do you mean ?" asked the monster, genuinely curious.

"I'm talking from experience here." said Lincoln, his voice getting a bit remorseful. "Back where I live, a moment of peace is hard to get, even when you have your own room. It's one of the downsides of having such a big family. I was really desperate to just have that moment of silence, to be myself, you know ?" Migosp nodded, and Lincoln sighed,

"Two times I made a plan for it. First time, I bought earplugs to completely block the noises of the house. At first, it was just to have 5 minutes to read my comic in peace, but then I got greedy, and began to use it all the time. My sisters retaliated with a prank, making me understand that it was not fair from me to permanently block them out like that, as if they were just annoying noises. Their methods were a little extreme, but I'm still grateful for it."

Lincoln's look then darkened, a whole lot more akwardness added to it. "Then, there was that time I pretended to be bad luck to avoid going at my sisters' activities, and yeah... it didn't end well. For everyone involved." he said, rubbing his arm with heavy guilt. The Loud sisters gained guilty faces as well, especially Lynn. The less they talked about **THAT** incident, the better...

Lincoln then perked up. "But hey, if there is one other thing I've learned from such a big family, it's that there is always a 'crowd' for you. Whether you like bad puns, beauty contests, or turning the amps up to eleven, you'll always find people to share it with."

Migosp began to absorb what he had been told. His face scrunched up a little. Looking back now, he realized how creepy and weird he must have sounded with his whole 'OBEY THE OVERMIND' act. "Oh... well, I guess I can try to be a little less reclusive from now on." he uttered.

"Glad to hear it. After all, dancing's always better with others, don't you think ?" Lincoln winked.

Migosp's face gained blissful happiness again, and he brought back his funky moves. "Oh yeah, swing your arms, baby~" He punctuated this statement by waving his arms in a wave manner, as did his benign little magic white insect.

"Don't mind if I do !" cheered Lincoln, enthusiastically imitating Migosp's arm wave. The sisters began to laugh, much to Migosp's anxiety at first, but he then saw that they weren't laughing of him, but _with_ him. Eventually, they joined in the little improptu wave party, giggling all the way.

* _Through your silly dance, Migosp has learned a valuable lesson._

Lincoln, knowing what the voice in his head meant (and also a little creeped out at how logical it sounded to him now), pressed the golden _**Spare**_ option a second time.

* _YOU WON ! You've gained 0 EXP and 6 Gold._

 **Fight over.**

"Woo, that felt good~" Migosp sighed contently. Perhaps there really was something good about this whole 'group activity' thing. Feeling wiser, the monster waved good-bye to the humans, and went on his way, leaving 5 golden coins next to the one left by Moldsmal.

"Y'know, I'm really beginning to get what Toriel meant. Jerk weed aside, monsters are a bit whacky but kinda sweet too." admitted Lori as she picked up the loot.

"Yeah, they are kinda scary and aggressive at first, but then they become so friendly and funny." Luan flashed her shiny smile full of braces. "And they sure know how to party too !"

"An unusual and misunderstood appearance that hides a heart of gold. A tad out of my usual preferences, but something I can get behind." monotoned Lucy with a nod.

As all excitedly shared their thoughts though, a certain sport wonder was still feeling a little down. She tapped her brother's shoulder to get his attention.

"Yeah Lynn, what's up ?" said Lincoln with a natural smile.

"Lincs, I know it's kind of dumb to ask, but... we are cool over that 'bad luck' incident, right ?" asked the jock with unusual shyness, guiltily rubbing her arm.

Lincoln blinked, but he understood. The aftermath of this masquerade of his, completed with the Squirrel Suit debacle, had provided one of the most tense conflicts the Loud House had ever known. There had been tears, oh yes there had been, and while everything went back to normal, it certainly left a small mental scar on all members, especially the moment Lincoln just... **exploded.**

The boy couldn't remember what he had said, he just knew that when his brain had plugged back in, he was panting like had run a marathon, his whole family was looking at him with shock and tears running down their cheeks, and Lynn laid beaten on the floor, all too conscious as she cried her eyes out. It took a whole lot of hugs, heart-to-heart talking, more hugs, and an entire revision of the household's system to get the Loud family back to normal. But when they did, they knew their bond had become stronger than ever.

Lincoln thus gave a warm smile to his big sister, and spoke just as warmly, "Lynn, of course we're cool. I'd never want to stop being your brother, not for anything." He then gained a playful cheeky smile. "Believe me, it's not like I didn't try."

Lynn was confused at first, but caught on his little act. She eagerly joined in of course. "Oh, you're so gonna get it, come here !" she bellowed, as she locked his head under her arm, and gave him a playful noogie. Lincoln cried out in mock distress, and everyone laughed at the display of tough but heartwarming love.

Lori rolled her eyes with a small grin, let Lily on the ground, and turned to the supposed clue on the wall, wanting to continue. Lisa accompanied her in her endavour, and the two read it.

" _Do not be fooled, the rooms do not repeat, it is only a rotation of perspective. (PS : Difficult of this puzzle may vary according to your POV.)_

"Did they just admit their puzzle might be broken, one way or another ?" concluded Lori, slightly weirded out.

"Well, I'm afraid that like all the puzzles we've been challenged to, action will be of the essence, and the sole solution to further our advance." lisped Lisa.

Lori tilted her head a bit. "Was that your fancy way of saying "Let's just go and see for ourselves" ?"

"That was high-school vocabulary for pete's sake !" raved the four year-old. "What is the point of myself using extended terminology if no one in this family learns from it ?!"

"I thought you used it to flaunt how knowledgeable you are."

"Well yes, obviously." she admitted. "But still !"

Lori patted the small genius' head, and went to her other siblings. "Okay guys, there's apparently something about perspective next. So keep steady for... whatever it means." she announced to them.

"Ooh, are we gonna see one of those guys in black and white that look for clues ?" chirped Leni.

"That's a detective, Leni." explained Lana. "But be lookout for clues."

"Got it !"

And with that said, the Louds left the room to join the next.

…

It wasn't hard to say that the next room looked... eerily familiar to the group of humans. And that was understandable, since it looked **exactly the same !** Same columns, same levers, and a writing on the wall on their right.

"Did that room go all Forest of Illusions on us ?" said Lincoln, earning weirded glances from his sisters. He knew that a little explanation was in order. "It's a reference about a puzzle that's been done many times in games. Basically, if you fail it, some sort of curse sends you back to the beginning, over and over until you get the answer right." The girls 'oooohed' in understanding.

"There's a name for that kind of curse : Life. Only there is no right answer." recited Lucy, sending cold chills down Lola's back, who replied with a flick on the little goth's nose. "Ow." she stated.

"I think you might be misled, dear brethern." Lisa interrupted the Louds' chit-chat. "The clue in the last corridor indicated that there is only similarity in those rooms. We are indeed progressing, even if it does not look that way."

"So what ? The guy who handled this place just gave up at some point ?" chided Lynn, more than a little disappointed. Amongst the things she couldn't stomach, giving up made it pretty high on the list.

"Eh, maybe they were just not feelin' it. Even the best rockers have their low notes" quipped Luna wisely.

"Even Mick ?" Lola raised an eyebrow.

"1992-94, dudette. Dark times for the man, dark times." she nodded grimly.

"Well, at least it's good that we know that detail." rationalized Luan, her grin widening. "Otherwise, we would've thought we were litteraly _running in circles_ , hahaha !"

"Okay, that one was easy, even from you." groaned Lincoln.

This little mystery and bad pun cleared out, the kids headed to the writing on the wall. While doing so, they noticed that there was indeed one difference in the room. The spike platforms at the end of the room were activated, blocking the way. Nontheless, they read the message, who proved to be different.

" _Press the blue one._ "

"Wow, that's kinda direct." said Lola, clearly disappointed by the underwhelmingly straightforward clue.

"Yeah, where's the mystery ?" her messy twin backed up, just as upset.

Leni, however, was nothing but thankful for the help provided to her. "Oooh, thank you sign, I know exactly what to do !"

And she zipped away from her sibs, who instantly reacted with fear. This might be a simple puzzle, but it was still Leni that they were talking about. And if she dared to press the wrong one, who knows of the consequences ? They certainly didn't want to know !

"LENI, NOOOOO !" they all yelled to stop whatever she was about to do. But the pretty blonde did not listen as she pushed the lever.

The _blue_ lever that is.

The spikes lowered, and Leni made a little clap of joy. When she turned back to her siblings, she found them looking completely befuddled. And knowing exactly why, she put her hands on her hips and frowned.

"Uh, hello ? I'm a fashionista. If there's one thing I do remember, it's colours." she reproached them. She knew she wasn't exactly super smart, or even average, but she hated being treated like she was a completely brainless vegetable. The other Louds chuckled and smiled apologetically. And Leni, unable to hold a grudge for long, accepted it wholeheartedly. "Well ? Let's go you guys ! Like, there's dessert waiting for us !"

Reminded of their succulent objective, the Louds were off.

* * *

The next room was, unsurprisingly, an exact replica of the room before, down to the spikes being activated. The only noticeable change was a small tweak in the room's clue, if you could call it that.

" _Press the red one._ "

"Easy peasy." said Lynn as she pulled on the correct lever, and opened the way to the next room.

"Looks like we've gone the _green light_ to go ! Get it ?" cracked Luan.

Lincoln sighed, and looked at the camera. "Gotta fill this gap somehow, right ?"

* * *

Coming in the next room, it was again the exact same one. Only this time, the sign indicated :

" _Press the green one._ "

"Okay, is it me, or is this puzzle in serious need of improvement ?" said Lori, pushing said green lever to open the way to the next room.

"Yeah, where's the difficulty ? Even Lily's toys are harder than that !" complained Lynn. "No offense Lily."

"Hmm... perhaps that post-scriptum in the clue held importance after all." mulled Lisa over.

"Post, wha ?" derped both Lola and Lana.

"A little note was added to the clue at the beginning, telling us that the Point of View mattered for this puzzle to work. I suppose, in that case, that if we had a somehow **fixed and unmoving point of view** , then certain levers could be hidden behind the pillars, thus triggering a memory game of some sorts." she explained arduously. "Though why the puzzle got constructed in the first place is beyond me."

"Maybe an error in the sketches." shrugged Lincoln.

"Or a change in media." added Lucy. Lincoln glanced at Lucy, at the camera, then back at Lucy. Should he... no, better not get too invested in this, he had other things to worry about.

"Hey, check it, there's some dodgy stuff marked on that pillar !" pointed out Luna. The Louds approached to see that there was indeed a strange sort of _writing_ imprinted on the stone structure. The purple rocker tilted her head. "Think it's some kind of monster language ?"

"They've been writing and speaking English all this time, why would they suddenly change ?" replied Lynn.

"Because this place makes zero sense, and half of the monsters we've seen don't even have hands to begin with ?" answered Luan earnestly.

"Ah, touché."

"Weird... kinda looks like Charles' claw marks on the couch." observed the little animal-lover with a red cap.

But as they pondered over the nature of this strange transcription, the Louds suddenly got their answer from, apparently, the 11th and a half member of their little troup.

* _"The whole thing is written in strange dog scratches. Rough translation, 'Note : Puzzle complaints understood, will get on it... after nap and belly rubs. Signed : the good (boy) architect, T.F.'"_

A moment of silence, then...

"Welp Luan, you win this round." deadpanned Lynn, eyes on the ceiling.

"I guess, but c'mon, he was nice enough to leave a note. Throw him _a bone_ here, hehehe !"

"Dogs can become architects." Lisa rubbed her brow very... tiredly. "I can't believe those words are mine but... I need a nap."

"Well according to Toriel, we aren't too far now, so you might get your wish pretty soon." said Lori, getting quite tired herself.

"I wonder what her house looks like. Must be totes warm and cozy like her !" giggled Leni, along with Lily in her arms who wasn't against the prospect of a nap.

Lincoln approved wholeheartedly, and began to walk forward. "Okey dokes, then let's just-"

"Hey ! Not another step !"

"Yeah, stay where you are !"

The kids unconciously obeyed, startled by the sudden inerjection of the two irritable voices. They turned around, and quickly spotted the sources. They sported an uncanny resemblance to a certain little green monster from an animated movie about monsters that Lana loved. The two identical red-skinned monsters were about Lucy-size, looking like little cyclops with their unique eyes making up most of their heads and barely any body under their mouth full of pointy teeth. Each creature's eye was black with a bright yellow pupil, they had two little horns on top of their heads, a pair of scrawny arms and a pair of scrawny legs, both ending with long claws.

The Louds had to admit, these two looked more monster-ish than most of the monsters they had encountered thus far. And it didn't help that they looked quite angry for some reason.

"Uh, hi. Is there a problem ?" saluted Lincoln, a bit nervous.

"Ha ! Don't go playing all nice and polite with us." said the monster on the left, squinting his huge eye.

"Yeah, we know who you troublemakers are ! We've heard, and we see !" said the monster on the right, pointing to his own eyeball. "You can't cheat this peeper !"

"Eww, gross !" recoiled Leni, remembering the word used to describe those jerks hiding in the girl showers that one time.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'troublemakers' exactly ?" air-quoted Lynn, not really fond of being accused without any solid proof.

"I think they're taking us for dummies, bro." spoke Left monster.

"You're right bro, they think they're being so smart right now." approved Right monster.

"Actually, we're just really confused of your spite against us right now." said Lisa stoïcally.

"Oooh, confused are you ?" mocked Left monster. "You know what you've done ! Making poor Whimsuns faint for fun ! Threatening defenseless ghosts ! And pushing around rocks just because you feel like it !"

Lincoln nervously scratched the back of his head. "Well yeah, we did do those things, but-"

"No excuse !" interrupted Right monster, sending a glare in the boy's direction. "Especially not from you ! Yeah, we know you're their ring **leader** !"

Lincoln blinked, confused. "Me ?"

"HIM ?!" shouted Lori heatedly. They were SO NOT saying what she thought they were saying. The monsters kept going though, unimpressed.

"That's right, we've heard of the 'white-haired one', the one who selects options, gives tips, and makes all the decisions when in battle. Obviously, he's your leader." stipulated Left monster.

Lori's face began to turn lobster-red, her breathing becoming ragged. The siblings took some steps away from her, looking at their big sister with worried faces. "He's not the leader..." the young adult hissed.

The monsters appeared surprised. "Wait, really ?" they said in unison.

"Positive." growled the blonde, her nose producing steam like a bull ready to charge.

The two little cyclops looked at eachother, looking hopelessly confused, before turning back to the kids. "Um... then is your leader the little one with the glasses ? We've heard she's pretty smart and-"

" **IT'S ME !** " roared Lori, her hands taking the form of claws and fire erupting in her eyes. "I'm the oldest ! I'm the tallest ! I'm the more mature ! Therefore, **I** AM THE LEADER ! ME, MYSELF, I, MOI, YO, IO, Мэн, _**ME !**_ " she bellowed like a storm.

"Lori ?" croaked Leni meekly, thoroughly terrified of how her big sister was acting, just like all her own little siblings and the two monsters, the latter glued to the wall both in terror and by the power of Lori's storm of emotions.

Lori, still panting like a wild animal, looked at the scared expressions of her sisters and brother, and began to realize what she was doing. Not setting the exemple of a leader for one. So she slowly relaxed her body and stance, then took a big gulp of air, and exhaled it serenely. She took another shaky breath, and tried again. " _I_ am the eldest of the group, and their leader. Get that right, okay ?" The two monsters quickly nodded. The siblings, on the other hand, came back to their 'chief' with worried expressions.

"You alright love ?" asked Luna as she put a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Is there something you want to talk about ?" said Lola in great concern.

' _Great, now I'm making them feel worried for me._ ' thought Lori, chatising herself. Not desiring any pity or even worry from them, she tried to reassure them, "I'm fine guys, just wanted to make sure they understood _who_ is the leader here." Lori said, her teeth clenching a little on the last string of words.

Lana pursed her lips, not quite convinced. "You're looking a little tense though."

Lori approached her head until she was nose to nose with Lana. "And praytell how's that a problem ?"

"Um, it's not ?" answered Lana nervously.

"I thought so." said Lori, backing up while doing an "I'm-watching-you" motion.

"So, you're the leader. Guess it adds up when you think about it." nodded one of the horned monsters.

"Thank you." uttered Lori with content relief and a calm grin. About time someone other than Toriel acknowledged it.

"I mean, you're the loudest and meanest, makes sense that you'd be the boss of the bullies." sneered the other monster.

Lori's façade broke as fast as it had appeared, leaving her with a twitching eye. "...Say what ?" she slowly articulated.

The monster shook his head with a little 'tsk'. "Yeah, snappy and mean. You're the big bad bully in chief, and the others follow. Classic bully gang system."

The thought of lunging at the duo, knocking every tooth out of their mouths, and offering them to Bobby as a superb necklace did cross Lori's mind for an instant, she had to admit it. But she knew what that would imply, so the eldest blonde instead tried to simmer down by massaging her temples. "They're only misunderstood and very nice on the inside Lori, you've said it yourself." she repeated like a mantra.

"Look, you've got it all wrong. We're just heading for Toriel's house, and you guys keep attacking us for no good reason." quipped Lynn, wanting this whole misunderstanding to just move along. But just like every conflict here, it would prove easier said than done.

"It's not enough you're getting all over our turf, you're on your way to harass old lady Toriel, huh ? You guys are even sicker than we thought." spat the monster on the right.

"You are clearly misinterpreting our words and twisting them to your own ideals." said Lisa in a slightly annoyed tone. "If youd simply put your unfocused and misled thoughts aside, we could tell you that-"

"Oh, so now we're bad guys ?! And stupid too ?!" one of the monsters rudely interrupted, prompting Lisa to facepalm. "That tears it ! Bro ?"

"Yeah bro." replied the other one, as the two turned towards eachother, nodded, and flashed a dual aggressive glare towards the humans. "Let's teach those flesh bags some manners !"

A glint appeared in the obsidian of their eyes, and the Louds once again felt their SOULs responding to the call.

 **Fight engaged !**

* _"A pair of Loox decide they want to pick on you."_

Luan snorted inadvertently. "Sorry, came out of nowhere."

"Well, here we go again." huffed Lola, sorting her compact mirror. "I'm gonna lose my porcelain complexion if this keeps going on."

"Yeah, Lola's right. Let's just speed this up and be on our way." Lincoln approved, choosing the same first option he chose during all their battles.

The answer however got a strange... additional info.

* _"Loox. ATK 6, DEF 6. They may look rough, but they actually hate bullies and confrontations. Also, family name..._ ** _Eyewalker._** _"_

Lincoln's eyes widened, his brain stopped sending signals for an instant. A snigger came out of his throat, followed by a snort, a chuckle, and finally a big laugh rivaling the ones of his clown-loving sister. "Hahahahaha, oh my gosh ! It has to be on purpose, it just- bwahahaha !"

The sisters were perplexed of their brother's attitude, observing him rolling on the floor with weirded out stares. "Lincoln, why are you litteraly busting a gut here ?" asked Lori.

Lincoln shakily rose, still snickering. "It's just, heh, just their name. Their family name, Eyewalker."

"Well I get the joke here, and it's pretty funny. So I know this is the whoopie cushion calling the rubber chicken overused, but you're overreacting." argued the buck-toothed comedian.

"No, * _wheeze_ *, you gotta pronounce it whole. Holy mother of Ace Savvy..."

"Dude, what's so funny about Loox Eyewalk-" Luna questionned, before suddenly stopping herself. Her eyes exploded open, as did her sisters', even Leni and (perhaps) Lucy. An instant of silence...

Then their cheeks collectively puffed, tears of hilarity accumulated to their eyes, and it all got released into a big and _loud_ guffaw.

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ! OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO !" they all boomed with laughter, with Lincoln joining right back in.

"Hahaha ! Lincoln is so right, someone must have done that on purpose !" said Lana, holding her stomach to get her chuckles under control.

"I'm not sure why we're laughing, but it's acually so funny, I don't even need to get it !" cracked up Leni, banging her fist on the tiled floor. But not too hard, manicure was hard work after all.

The pair of Looxes however, were not amused. "Bro, are they mocking us ? Mocking the name Mom proudly gave us ?" asked the Loox on the left, squinting his eye.

"This just got personnal bro." said the adjacent Loox with a cool tone, cracking his scrawny knuckles. "Let's beam'em good."

The Loox's sentence made sense as soon as their turn began. Out of the two monsters' eyes appeared little hoop-shaped laser beams. The white circles aimed themselves towards the children, who didn't even notice them. Strangely enough though, by rolling on the floor with mirthful laughter, the Louds actually managed to avoid them. Even by bouncing on the walls, none of the attacks managed to connect.

The monsters were silent. Then one spoke, "Bro, we missed."

"I know bro."

"They're still laughing bro."

"Not for long..." sneered the one-eyed ball of rising anger.

After five more seconds of guffaw, the kids began to calm down. They rose on their feet, still shaking with snorts and chuckles.

"We're... so sorry." said Lincoln, trying his hardest to fully cool down.

"Y-Yes, it was * _pff_ * very uncouth and disrespectful of us." backed up Lisa with a nod, still giddily smiling.

"I totally agree." approved Luan... still on her knees. The comedian hadn't risen up, and her already big smile just kept growing. "In fact..."

"Luan, oh my gosh." chortled Lana.

"...the better way to say it would be..."

"She wouldn't dare..." said Lola with levity.

"Heck yeah, she's gonna do it." preached Lincoln, already barely able to contain herself.

Luan knew this was a bad idea. She just knew that cracking this joke would only allow more bad blood to rise. But bigger forces were at work here, comedy itself was calling out to her. She had to embrace it, for her own good, for the logic reasoning of this world.

The joke was simply too strong in her.

Luan rose her hands to her ears, shaping them to make them look like big long ears, and parted her lips for the punchline, talking in a little old man voice...

"...very disrespectful to you, we were."

 _Pin Dropping 2 : The Silencing..._

" **BAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !** " the Louds doubled over with hilarity.

"Hahaha, I regret absolutely nothing !" proclaimed Luan. "After all, I'm not one to _chewie_ my own words, hahaha !"

And as if the display of open mockery could not get any clearer to the two diminutive cyclops, Lincoln pushed it even further when instead of banging on the floor, his fist collided with the ACT button, then the _Loox_ , and finally the freshly arrived _Ridicule_.

* _"You mock Loox and Loox even further. It is bad, and you should feel bad for it."_

"Lincoln, you * _wheeze*_ idiot !" said Lori, trying to chide Lincoln, but her sides were aching too much to focus.

"I'm so sorry, I just can't see with those tears in my eyes !" apologized Lincoln.

But as the hilarity stood high and mighty with the Louds, ire was the only thing the monsters were feeling. Their red skins were turning more scarlet by the second, and they were gnashing their teeth like no tomorrow, thinking about making sure there _won't be_ a tomorrow for those humans.

"I think it's time we lay the real stuff on them bro." said a Loox seethingly.

"Ya bro, let's see if they're still laughing after they get a load of this." growled the other Loox, his eye radiating with magic.

The monsters attacked, liberating more beams out of their eyes, but with two key differences. First, instead of being just singular hoops, each attack was composed of three hoops in a serpentine form, big on in front, medium in the middle, and a small one for the tail. Second, the attacks were much faster and much more numerous. They immediately found their targets, and whizzed towards them.

 **And they hit.** All Louds felt the attack inflicted to them, with Lily being the only one who escaped spotless, encased in Leni's protective hug. They collectively yelped, the impact feeling like an electric shock accompanied with a mighty push. Three _HP_ disappeared from their life bars, but although they still had some more to share, they still reeled from the assault and were shaken right out of their laughing fit.

"Ow, that hurt like a birdhouse !" hissed Lynn, only having 14 _HP_ left now.

"My leg's got a big bump now !" whined Lola, holding her bruised right knee.

"I feel the pain." said Lucy Loud in a not so convincing voice.

"Yeah, that's what you get !" cried out left Loox. "Not so fun anymore, huh ?!"

"Ow, ow ow ow..." Lincoln massaged his left arm. The boy now realized how upset the monsters were, if the daggers they were glaring at them were any hint. "N-No, we were not laughing at you, honest ! We're sorry !"

The Looxes were deaf to his pleading. "Lies ! You're not sorry at all !" accused right Loox heatedly, before gaining a cold edge in his voice. "But we're going to make you..."

The growling monsters were suddenly looking quite menacing. Lana and Lola closed in for a mutual hug, Lisa took a cautious step back, and Lily hid her face in Leni's chest with a whimper. This agressivity thrown towards her younger siblings did not sit well with a certain guitar-shredder.

"Okay, time out everybody !" called Luna making a T with her hands. "Dudes, we gotta talk, for real."

"And we'd wanna listen why ?" asked the monster, his eye throbbing with anger towards the human.

"Because I pressed the big magic button, that means you gotta sit and learn." she replied, hitting the ACT button and choosing the _Talk_ option. The monsters relented, she had the floor. "Loox dudes, my bro ain't lying, we weren't mocking you, your name just reminded us of something we have back on the surface."

"What, a clown act ?"

Luna shook her head. "No, an epic space battle, with laser swords and awesome soundtrack !"

The Looxes' tension began to dimminish. "Really ?" said one of them, not entirely convinced.

"Swear it on my dedicated Mick Swagger album !" grinned Luna, crossing her heart.

"You better hold her on that, she adores that album." chuckled Lincoln, remembering the near heart attack Luna had experienced when she thought the precious album had disappeared, when in fact it was only their mother who had borrowed it for a Book Club session. The meaning of turning the house upside-down went to a whole new level that day...

With a calm smile, Luna approached the two small cyclops, who eyed her approach with some angry reclutance, but let her do so anyway. She kneeled to their level, and spoke in her natural chill voice.

"Listen chaps, we're mighty sorry of laughing like that, making you think we were insulting you. It was super uncool of us. But I've gotta ask, is it really all you've heard about us ? Being bullies ?"

The two bros looked at eachother and began to sweat. "Well, there might've been a thing or two about you being kinda helpful. Nursing Whimsun back to conciousness, making Froggits feel better about themselves, stuff like that."

"And by one or two, you mean..?" Luna arched an eyebrow, a bit of reproach lacing her voice.

The Looxes bowed their heads, shameful. "One or two dozens..." they admitted bashfully.

"We were just really worried you'd pick on us first, like that aggressive one did to Blooks." piped one of them. "She's got that mean spirit in that glare of hers."

"Hey, that's my normal stare !" said an insulted Lynn. Lucy gently patted the pouting jock's back.

Luna's face went into complete deadpan mode as she elaborated, "So, you chose to ignore the good stuff, only focusing on the bad stuff, attacking us for it, and doing it so to a bunch of children, some of them not even over eight years old. What do you think that makes you two ?"

Shock exploded upon the two monsters' faces, as they realized they had become what they despised the most. "Aw man, we ARE the bullies !" gasped the duo in unison. Luna nodded her head sternly, as right Loox began to apologize. "Geez, we didn't mean to sound mean, we just thought you'd bully us because, well, you're humans, and we're monsters." he tried to explain.

"Brah, we don't judge, not monsters anyway. I mean, if you're looking for weird, just pass at our Casa Loud on Friday night, and you'll see bizarre amped up to eleven." she chuckled, which got a smile out of the monsters. "We ain't looking for a fight, we're just looking for a way back home, up there. And if on the way we can meet some chill dudes, all the better. So whaddya say we just forget about this whole bully junk, and try it again ?"

Luna advanced a friendly hand, her face glowing with a respectful smile. The Looxes looked at eachother, then back to the friendly rocker... and smiled. They grasped the peach-coloured hand, and shook it with their own scarlet clawed ones.

* _"Through Luna's swift words and attitude, the Looxes are_ looking _forward to talk to you again."_

The Louds cheered, and Lincoln immediately aimed for the _**Spare**_.

* _YOU WON ! You've gained 0 EXP and 10 Gold._

 **Fight over.**

"You know, maybe we got you humans all wrong." said a Loox, grinning. "I mean, they can't be all that bad if they have cool gals like you."

"Ah shucks, afraid I'm not looking for a boyfriend, mate." jested Luna. "But I ain't that cool you know, I don't even have badass laser beams."

The three laughed at this, and they knew it was time to part ways. "Welp, it was actually great running into you, um..."

"Luna. Luna Loud, don't wear it out." she winked.

"Oh. Then see ya, Luna Loud." said Loox, as the three exchanged a round of high-fives. "We wish you good luck to you and your friends."

"Me and my sibs actually." corrected Luna, chuckling at the duo's dumbfounded faces. "Yep, we get that reaction a lot. And see ya too mates, spread the good word. The Louds are here for friends, not for foes."

With that said, the two monsters exchanged good-byes with the children and hurried out of the room, taking the way they had appeared from and leaving only ten golden coins to the purple-clad rock chick. Said rocker was immediately swarmed by her relieved siblings.

"That was amazing Luna, you calmed them down in a snap !" praised Lincoln giddily. He knew Luna excelled in peace-making, having herself stopped many fights between him and Lynn back in the days, and greatly influencing him in how to handle his own brawling younger siblings.

"Ah, they were good guys. Just on the defensive, is all. Trust me, compared to what you can find amongst Mick Swagger fans, those guys were angels." said Luna with a chuckle.

"But you were still awesome !" whooped Lana.

Luna grinned slyly, looking at her nails. "Well, I am pretty great."

The children giggled and cheered for their sister... save for one blonde, who still stood away from the joyful crowd, and watched it with a sullen expression. It's not that Lori wasn't impressed or proud of what her little sister had done, she really was. With so many siblings to take care of, the house needed someone cool and collected like Luna to balance the chaos of the siblings' general sheninigans.

Normally, Lori would be simply happy knowing that Luna possessed that skill. Now though, all she could think about was how little of that skill she possessed. Not to mention how the two Loox didn't think for a second about her being the leader of her siblings.

I-It was not just because she was the oldest that she had the reigns... right ? After all she was... she was...

"Lori ? Yoo-hoo, is this mike plugged ?" said Luna, giving a light knock on Lori's skull. It effectively snapped Lori out of her trance, and she saw that all of her sibs were around her, looking at her with mixed expressions.

"Whu, wha ?" blubbered the kinda phone addict.

"Just here to pass you the loot." simply said Luna, handing her the Gold left by the two monsters. Her expression grew concerned. "Are you _sure_ everything's okay, love ?"

"I'm fine !" yelled Lori, then quickly slapped a hand on her mouth. She took another breather, and tried again while she stuffed the money in her pockets. "I'm fine, just a bit tired. I haven't texted Bobby for hours, so I'm just a little cranky, nothing to worry about." She knew it was bad to lie after chatising Lincoln for attempting it, but the last thing Lori wanted was for her siblings to think that she was weak and unreliable.

 _If they even needed that reassurance..._

The children once again decided to let it slide, but kept a close eye on their sistriarch. Lily looked especially distressed, as she insisted to be given back to Lori for some comforting snuggles. And now that the way was open and obstacle-less, the Louds moved forward.

* * *

Going the other way, the Looxes reflected on their encounter.

"Hey bro ?" nudged one of them.

"Yeah bro ?"

"Think we should've told them for what other reason we attacked them ?"

The second Loox took a little moment to reply. "If they wanna go home, they'll go to the king's castle. Either they'll already know when they get to it, or they'll learn it there."

The first Loox twiddled his thumbs, his huge eye gaining a whole lot of sadness. "I feel bad for them. They were really nice, especially that rad girl, Luna."

The second Loox appeared sad for a second, but mulling it over, a small smile appeared across his face, full of confidence.

"You know what ? I think they're gonna be just fine. _They've got determination to go around..._ "

* * *

The next room was a kinda large crossroad, one way on the left, and one way straight ahead. The entrance and exit straight ahead had green ivy on them, while the larger path on the left had a bunch of red leaves, kinda shaped like an arrow.

"I think we're getting a hint here." joked Luan.

"Indeed, but of course, we must first quench our youthful curiosity. And for that, we must proceed down this track 0° North from our current position." Lisa pointed out.

"Yeah, more exploring !" cheered Lana, always up for digging in obscure and dusty places. Or maybe that was more of Lucy's répertoire...

Either way, the Louds quickly approved that motion, and went along. They arrived to a turn on the left leading to a doorway, and a Froggit contently sitting on the side. Naturally, their first instinct was to consult the white amphibian monster.

"Ribbit. Psst, are you the humans Toriel is taking care of ?" said the Froggit in a hushed voice.

"Well we didn't see any other humans on the way, so yeah." replied Lincoln with a shrug.

The frog monster nodded, "I see, then you might want to go back a little, her house is actually right through the other path, ribbit."

Leni let out a cheer upon hearing this. "Yay, that means we're almost done !"

"Eeee, almost at Goat Mom's house ! And right on time for a snack !" squealed Lola with excitement.

"Actually, it's only about 2 pm." remarked Lisa as she looked at the watch she invented herself, voice logging and GPS included.

"Snack time doesn't have to bother itself with clocks."

"A convincing argument, I must yield." the little genius bowed, much to the pleasure of the mini pink regent.

"Hey mister frog, what's over there ? Should we _hop_ to it, or just _frog_ et about it ?" joked the Queen of gags as the pointed to the mysterious entrance. She received two quick hits from Lana's hat in the knees, but she was still pleased with her joke.

"Ribbit. This leads to the entrance of _Home_." croaked the monster casually.

"The... home of the Froggits ?" attempted Lynn.

"FROGS !" Lana exclaimed excitedly. She tried rushing for the door, but was stopped by Lynn taking a solid hold on her overalls, leaving the six year-old to trying to run forward on all four, yet not advancing a millimiter.

The Froggit shook his head, indicating their error. "The Froggits do indeed live beyond this door, but so do the other monsters. When I was saying _Home_ , I meant the name of the city that holds the Ruins." explained the batrachian.

Lincoln's eyes suddenly grew wide and shining with childlike curiosity. "A city of monsters ? This place just got even cooler !"

"Wait, is 'Home' a special monster word or something ?" asked Lori, this part not quite making sense to her.

Froggit blinked. "Home... means somewhere you live, a place you inhabit." he explained, taking a pensive stance. "I was not aware humans had another word for it, ribbit."

"No we actually use that meaning, we were just confused of why you'd use it to name an entire city." clarified Lucy who was a bit curious herself.

"Quite simple, ribbit. Our **King** is just really bad at naming things." answered the monster even more casually, as if it was common knowledge.

Lincoln arched an eyebrow, a single word resonating in his mind, and a strange feeling of nostalgic regret washing over him. ' _King ?_ '

"Well, that's an answer as good as any." deadpanned Lori. She wasn't really sure what else she was expecting at this point, seeing as most monsters apparently taking their species as names. "But I guess we can litteraly give this whole city thing a small peek before heading to Toriel's."

"Poo-poo !" proclaimed Lily, closing the case for good. With that said, the Louds waved good-bye to the Froggit, and entered the next room.

Now alone, the Froggit couldn't help but mumble to themselves. "Some of them are quite young, no wonder that Toriel would allow them inside her home." They shivered a little. "Not that anyone would have the courage to talk her out of it..."

* * *

Lincoln was in utter awe to the share spectacle he was witnessing. His pupils were wide and sparkly again, though not as much as the moment he had discovered the cave that had started this whole adventure. Still, he could not help but be short of breath to what he was seeing.

"Okay, the guys of this place might still have a problem with paint other than purple, but this was so worth the detour." said Lola with childlike wonder.

The overview of a city was what greeted the Louds upon their entrance on a small balcony that connected to the city through a long staircase. The purple city definitely looked like it had seen better days, with some of its buildings having cracks running along them and most of them showing clear signs of being abandonned. Still, they could see a few lights and some shapes moving among the monster homes, going on with their businesses. And the kids couldn't exactly say why, but there was something grand about this city, something whimsical yet not entirely. And despite the lack of sunlight, the few pearls of light in the city kept the whole scenery superb and mysterious.

"Friggin' majestic..." breathed Luna with a hand on her heart. "I'm so getting another rad idea for my album cover."

"Those walls contain so much history. But how long before they fail the city ?" recited Lucy as she felt her inspiration rise up as well, thanks to the darkness provided by the sunless ceiling.

"I agree on the first verse, who knows how long ago this city was created ?" quipped Lisa, unable to hide her enthusiasm at the prospect of more studying on a part of history she didn't know anything about two hours ago.

"Oooh, aaah..." was all Leni said.

Lori was just as impressed, though she felt a little creeped out for some reason. The city was huge, so it had to be built for many monsters to inhabit. Yet now, barely a fifth of the houses looked occupied. So the big question was, did the monsters go anywhere else ? And if so, where ?

Her thoughts were interrupted however when she felt a weird feeling in her chest. She looked down to see her cyan SOUL fading in with a weird transparent effect. The little heart seemed to be reacting to something, so Lori naturally began to look around her. And then she spotted it.

On her left, right on the ground, was a small item she recognized all too well from her cooking lessons with Lincoln and her mom. Yet as she squinted her eyes to take a better look, she realized that the _knife_ she was looking at didn't exactly seem authentic. It had a black handle like some knives could have, but its blade simply looked weird. Eventually, Lori simply decided to look for herself, handing Lily to Luan. She picked up the small knife, and found out why it looked weird. It was made of plastic ! The thing was basically a toy, the blade easily swaying like rubber when she gave it a flick. And yet, despite its benign appearance, Lori felt oddly drawn to it, a certain sense of **power** taking a hold on her.

She was so focused on the small weapon that she didn't notice the eerie glow that it shared with her SOUL for a moment...

"What's that ?" crowed Lucy, shaking her sister out of her trance with a terrified shout.

"Okay, for your next birthday, I am buying you a bell." hissed Lori as she tried to get her heartbeat speed below the one of a jokari held by Lynn on a sugar rush.

"Thanks, but that's not answering my question." replied the unfazed goth dryly.

The siblings began to circle their sister, trying to geet a little peek at the new item in her possession.

"Man, only a plastic one ? Kinda lame compared to Dad's emergency Swiss army knife." observed the little fix-it girl with a pout.

"Hmm, there's certainly some age and refinement to it." analyzed Lisa as she passed a finger on it, collecting some dust on her fingertip. "This knife has seen things for sure."

"Well I don't see any eye, but I'm sure he must have a _sharp_ one ! Hehe, get it ?" said Luan, making the others groan.

"You think someone's lost it ?" asked Lynn, scratching her head.

"Well, if they want it back, they'll simply ask. But until then, it's finders keepers." simply announced Lori smugly as she twirled it in her hand.

Suddenly, Lincoln felt the voice taking over, again with glowing red irises :

* _"You've equipped the Toy Knife. ATK increases of 3. Its plastic composition makes it a rarity. You should be careful where you wave this thing around."_

Lori was a little taken aback by this description. "Wait, _ATK_ as in Attack ? That thing's a weapon ?" she said in disbelief, shaking it to prove how flabby it was.

"Well, if Lincoln's possible double personality says so, who are we to contradict them ?" shrugged loony Luan with a grin.

"Makes sense to me !" quipped Leni in her happy-go-lucky tone.

"But wait, I thought we weren't supposed to Fight ? What's the use of a weapon then ?" Luna popped the big question.

All eyes turned to the blonde wielder, who simply put the weapon aside in her shorts, and gave a light shrug. "Well, I'm still gonna hang onto it. You know, just in case. Plus, maybe we can sell it for some more Gold, thus more sweet donuts !"

The sweet prospect of more treats, even made _of_ spiders, was enough to put the Louds' suspicions to rest. After all...

 _ **What damage could a child's toy honestly do ?**_

* * *

The Loud Group backtracked, and took the other path. When they entered the next room, they saw a tree. Lonely, its bark pitch-black, and leafless, but an actual tree nontheless. Around it were more of those scarlet leaves.

* _"No matter how many leaves this tree grows, they always fall right off."_

"Wow, this got dark all of a sudden." commented Lincoln about his own speech.

Of course, Lucy flashed a thumbs up, feeling the urge to approve.

"So the leaves all come from this tree ?" realized Lana as she took a fistful of them.

"Problem solved." quipped Lisa.

The handygirl wasn't quite finished. "But how did they go all the way from here to all the rooms we've been in ?"

Lisa looked like she could care less. "Hey, one existential question at a time, I'm in the dire need of a nap here."

"So are we closing in to Goat Mom's house ?" questionned Luna. The answer didn't come quite the way she had expected it to do.

"Oh dear me, it certainly took more time than I expected. I hope the monsters didn't bother them too much."

The Louds immediately perked up at the sound of the worried, motherly voice they all recognized, the one that belonged to the person they've been searching for. Coming around the tree was none other than Toriel herself.

"Mayhaps I should call them first." said the lady monster as she sorted out her phone from her robes. She chose the number and began to call, but was surprised to hear the ringing sounding oddly close. Curious, she turned around a bit, and was met with a startling sight. "Oh my !" she gasped.

"HI TORIEL !" happily waved the children to their Guardian, who quickly hurried to them.

"Children, you're here already ? I apologize for my lateness, and- oh dear !" she suddenly exclaimed upon looking at the bruises on the kids' bodies. "Children, you're hurt !"

"Yeah, some monsters nicked us by accident, but we got them to stop. Peacefully of course." said Lincoln with a bit of pride.

Toriel still checked them over, looking for any permanent damage. She sighed in relief when she found none. "Do not fret children, I shall heal you immediately." Green flames appeared along Toriel's hands, and she waved it above the Loud siblings.

"Heehee, it tickles." giggled Lola, embracing the warm and nursing feeling, her wounds and woes all but disappearing, as did the ones of her brother and sisters.

Toriel smiled warmly at her work. "There, all better. I am sorry I left you alone like that and let you get hurt."

"Ah come on, we totally had this. We talked them right out of battle, and they paid us for it !" Lynn gloated a little.

"And I got to make a new friend." said Lucy, strangely not startling Toriel.

"That is wonderful news my child !" exclaimed Toriel as she brought her fuzzy paw on Lucy's head, making her smile and blush a little. "I'm proud of all of you. Managing to cross all those puzzles and making peace with all those monsters all by yourselves. A marvelous achievement." she said, shedding a little tear while the Louds were beaming with the pride of having pleased her. Mother Goat's smile got a little cheekier as she approached Lily. "And I see you've managed to perfectly protect a certain little tyke as well. Hello sweetie, did you have a fun time on the way here ?"

Lily cooed joyfully, and immediately caught the fluffy toy that was Toriel's right ear with her chubby hands. The monster let her do so, and watched in amusement to the toddler eerily nuzzling it, and sucking on it.

"I do believe that's a yes." chuckled Toriel. Her voice then turned a bit apologetic. "Though sweetie, I'm afraid I have to take my ear back for a moment." Lily gave a greedy glare, not ready to let go of her fluffy _Blanky_ replacement. "C'mon honey, I need it to walk around for an instant. I promise you that there shall be more cuddle times afterwards, alright ?"

Lily pursued her lips, still not completely sure. But upon seeing the woman's kind eyes, the happy little baby knew what she had to do, and parted with the fuzzy ear, already longing its departure.

"Hehe, thank you Lily." commended Toriel. She gave the baby a little tummy tickle, making her giggle. Then, she turned back to the pack of children, who were all more or less smiling at her. "Again, I must apologize. You succeeded this 'Independent test' hands down, but it was a silly idea to begin with. It may've been to surprise you, but it was still irresp-" she cut herself off as she realized what she had just said.

"Surprise ?!" picked up the Louds in unison, broad grins full of interest plastered on their faces.

Toriel slightly blushed, feeling a bit stupid to have ruined such a nice surprise so close to the goal. But since the cat was out of the bag, she knew she had to roll with it now. "Oh well, I suppose I can't hide it any longer. It is nothing grand, but I am sure that it will greatly please you."

"Is it a cake ?!" asked Lola excitedly, her mouth watering at the prospect of her favourite dessert.

"You will see." mused Toriel, turning over. "Follow me children."

As she departed, she was quickly tailed by the children, but they stopped when they saw what doorway Toriel had passed. It was the entrance of what looked like a small house, with two windows. Above the doorway was some writing, but its words were hidden behind a thick veil of dust. A carpet of leaves bordered the house walls, and on it floated a familiar little star.

"Hey, it's another one of those Save points." said Luna. The siblings hurried up to the mysterious entity, and Lincoln grazed it with his hand.

* _"Seeing this cute little house, knowing that you'll be safe in it... It fills you with **Determination.** "_

 _ **LOUDS – Ruins Home**_

 _ **LV1 – 2:20**_

 _ **File saved successfully !**_

"And we still have no idea what any of this means, do we ?" asked Lynn with heavy sarcasm.

"Safety first, competitive sister of mine. Safety first." professed Lisa.

"Like, enough chit-chat you guys, there is cake waiting for us !" exclaimed Leni with a small squeal.

"For cake !" chanted Luan, followed by an approving chorus from her siblings. And since Snack Time wasn't to be waited for, the siblings entered Toriel's house, giggling and light-hearted. Truly, they would be safe and sound here.

 _Even from the blur of yellow that quickly disappeared behind the dark tree..._

* * *

After crossing a little corridor, the Louds entered the hall of the house. The colour pattern of the room was already surprising, as the walls, for the first time since they've been following Toriel, were **NOT** purple ("About time !" exclaimed Lola), but instead made of a light beige. Right in front of them was a quite large staircase, probably going down to a basement. There were a couple of pieces of furniture on its sides, and a couple of things on the wall in front of them as well.

But more than the room's physical contents, the general feeling of the house was what took the Louds by surprise, though they sort of expected it. The air felt warm, crispy, and it made the whole room scream coziness. It was as if the feeling of safety Toriel could provide had marked the walls, ceiling, and ground of her house.

And welcoming them was of course Toriel, her warm smile ready to greet them. "Welcome to my little home, children. I trust you'll find it most pleasant and comfortable." Her smile got a little wider. "Do you smell that ?"

The Louds sniffed the air, and a delicate smell invaded their nostrils. The spiced aroma of cinnamon, mixed with the sugary scent of Butterscotch. Their mouths instantly began to water again.

"What's that nifty smell ?" asked Luna, greedily licking her lips.

"Hmm, it's like chocolate, but it's not." said Leni, too enamoured with the smell to make any sense.

Toriel decided she could not contain herself any longer, and announced, "Surprise ! A Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie, specially made for your arrival." The kids whooped and cheered with delighted shouts, much to her enjoyement.

"The combination of exhaustion and self-pride took for managing to meet all objectives of our quest shall make this dessert most rewarding." smirked Lisa as she pushed the bridge of her glasses.

Luan's smile gained a little deviousness. "Well of course you'd like it, being the scientific that you are. It is _**Pi** e_ after all !" she said, releasing her signature laugh.

Lisa's form twitched, then slumped in defeat. "I mostly blame myself for walking into that one."

Toriel stiffled a giggle from the questionable pun, and pursued her announcement. "But that's not all. Come this way please."

She quickly went down the hallway on the right, and the siblings followed. The beige of the hall turned into a warm yellow, with a couple of plants and some furniture in it. The kids quickly spotted three doors on their left, and one on their right.

 _Huh ? What do you mean, what door on the right ? Well the bathroom's door of course ! Sheesh, it's like you never saw it or something..._

Toriel stopped in front of the first white door on the left. "Here it is children, a room of your very own ! I'm sure you'll like it." she said with a big grin. It faltered however when she saw the confused stares plastered on their faces. "Children, is something wrong ?" she began to fret.

Lincoln nervously scratched his ear, trying to find the right words to not upset Toriel. "Well, it's not against you, but... we don't usually sleep together in one big bedroom." explained the white-haired boy.

"We kinda have an age-based system." Lori carried on. "All girls sleep by pairs : me and Leni, Luna and Luan, Lynn and Lucy, and so on. Lincoln's the only one who sleeps alone, gender privacy and all."

"The limits of that privacy were tested, with very mixed results." said Lincoln with a slightly deadpan tone, with Lynn whistling innocently and Lucy growing very interested in the wall that wasn't her brother.

"Oh." simply said the motherly monster. Now that she thought about it, with all those colourful personalities, perhaps she should've seen it coming. "I see. I'm afraid my home wasn't truly built to welcome so many people at once. But !", her tone warmed back up with maternal resolve. "That shall not stop us to find you a place to sleep. We shall make arangements, that is all."

"Well, shouldn't be too hard." quipped Lynn with a shrug. "It's not like we never slept together before. It's been a while though, maybe before Lily."

Suddenly, something caught the attention of Lana, as she sniffed the air again. "Uh, Goat Mom ? Is your pie still in the oven ?"

Toriel tilted her head, and smelled the air too. There was a strange odour mixed to the sugary scent, almost like something was... burning ?! "Um, make yourself at home children, I'll be back in an instant." she quickly blurted out, zooming down the hallway and disappearing in what the Louds assumed was the kitchen.

"Well, let's check it out." said Lori.

"I hope there is a dusty corner. Those always have their share of stories, tragic most of the time." quipped Lucy in her usual spooky tone.

The sisters were quick to enter their new quarters, but Lincoln fell a bit behind. He felt compelled to explore the corridor a bit, his trainee sleuth instincts kicking in. He walked down the carpeted floor, passing the doors. The bathroom door had a tag on it, so he easily recognized it, and he could only guess that the door on his left was Toriel's room.

He was intrigued the most by the third door, which sported a sign that said ' _Room under renovations_ '. Pushed by his curiosity he tried to open it, but found it locked. He let go of the handle, a little bit disappointed, but it quickly evaporated when he looked at the mirror right next to him. It was a rather pretty mirror, spotless as can be. The only mirror he'd bother to look into most of the time back home was the bathroom mirror, and it was hard to not notice the faded but nontheless present fingerprints all over its surface.

Lincoln looked at his reflection, and took it in. It was the same white-haired boy, with the same orange shirt and blue jeans, and travelling with the same zany but ultimately loving sisters. What was different however ? The scenery, the context. He was in a land of monsters, _real_ monsters. A land where monsters didn't want to feast on human flesh, but still wanted to capture his SOUL, yet almost always turned out to be nice guys in the end.

Lincoln had always dreamed of being confronted to real supernatural, but now he was scared, worried, and most of all, confused. So many questions were arising in such small time. Were all the legends true ? Did the other six children fall down like them ? And if so, where were they now ? What was Flowey's deal ? Where was the exit ? _Was there an exit ?_ Lincoln's worry only increased with each question, his breathing getting faster and pearls of sweat cascading down his brow.

But as he looked into the mirror again, his bright crimson SOUL came out, beating with a gentle tempo, and the voice in his head spoke two simple words.

* _It's you._

Lincoln blinked. It was him ? It was him. It... _was him_. His eyes gained a glimmer of hope. He was there, same old Lincoln Loud. Alive, and certainly not alone. He had every one of his sisters he knew he could count on. Even Lola, when things got tough. His lips slowly bent upwards through those thoughts. They were resourceful, full of skills. Already they had made friends with many monsters, nothing was impossible.

Toriel had given them the keys to survive, and Flowey's little act didn't scare them ! Well, not so much anyways. They'd find a darn exit, or they'd dig their way out if needed to. And most of all, his sisters and him would be together until the very end, ready to tackle on whatever this world had in store for them. Music, scientific facts, kindness, tough talk, they had it all. Lincoln looked down at his hands, that he clenched into fists, and gazed again at his reflection with a broad smile, and...

His irises were glowing red, as was his SOUL. **Glowing with Determination !**

"Linky ?" called out Leni as she passed her way through the doorway.

The trance of Lincoln stopped, and he looked at his ditzy big sister with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, got a little curious. I'm coming." he said, immediately doing so.

As he passed the door though, Leni couldn't help but notice something in his demanour, having a certain attention for details at times. For some reason, he seemed to walk a bit straighter, almost with pride in his step.

Leni smiled a bit to herself. She kinda liked him better this way.

The bedroom brought by Toriel was also quite monochrome in its colour pattern, only it was as red as Lana's cap this time. The room had many things a child's bedroom would normally have. A bedside lamp, a small set of shelves, a box full of toys that Lily was currently enjoying, and a single childsize bed, which Lana and Lola were gleefully bouncing upon.

"Nice stuff she's got going on here." whistled Luna, looking at a flower drawing on the wall. "'Bit childish, but still pretty neat and cozy."

"Yeah, she even got us shoes !" exclaimed Luan, opening a chest containing a variety of shoes, every pair of a different size. "How nice of her to _leg_ them to us, it'll help us _fit in_ , hahaha !"

Lynn raised an eyebrow, a bit confused. "She managed to get all of that ? Man, Goat Mom's fast." She grinned, "I respect that."

"Monsters do seem to have a certain affection for a sole choice of palette." judged Lisa, obviously referring to the different shades of red reflected around the room. Even the furniture was red for some reason. But that didn't stop Lisa to keep measuring the room with her pocket measuring tape.

In the midst of the idle chit-chat, Lori noticed a photo frame laying around. She carefully picked it up to get a better look. It was very dusty, and the photo in it was all smudged. In fact, Lucy quickly noted that the top left corner was slightly burned out. Even so, she could make out a white form kinda looking like Toriel, with a larger form behind her. And in front of them were two smaller beings, both holding something yellow...

Lori tilted her head, making her blonde hair bounce a little. Was that Toriel on the photo, and if yes, who were those people with her ? She mulled it over a bit, then put the frame down. If Toriel wanted to talk about it, she'd just ask later on.

As Lucy was taking her place in her dusty corner and Leni was busy thinking if stripes were going to make a come-back after looking inside the closet, a gentle knock on the door made the Louds freeze in their activities. Lincoln opened the door, and Toriel entered the room with a warm grin.

"Hello again children." the woman greeted. She took a seat on the bed, and the Louds sat in a semi-circle before her, with the exception of the Twins who took places at her sides. "Are you liking your room so far ? I'm not sure if the proportions are alright though..."

"Unfortunately, they are not." interrupted Lisa with a slightly apologetic tone, showing her notes to Toriel. "By calculating the general girth of humans present here and the area this room can provide, I'm afraid I've come to the conclusion that it is simply impossible for all of us to reside in the same room without having to sleep on eachother, no matter how many blankets you can provide."

Toriel scratched her furry chin, then got an idea. "Then perhaps some of you can sleep with me. My room has plenty of space for some of you to sleep upon." she kindly proposed, and was met with approval from the siblings. She chuckled, "Alright, then who shall it be ?"

"Dibs for Toriel's room !" called Lori, milliseconds before the others, but ultimately signing the eldest Loud's victory. If there was an action that could overrule every priviliege of the Loud House, it was the 'Dibs vote'. Lori smirked at her siblings' disappointed faces. "And I'm taking Lily with me, for safekeeping." she declared, making a goofy face for the toddler to enjoy.

"No fair, I wanna come too !" complained Leni with an adorable pout.

"I also might suggest for a place in Toriel's resting space." uttered Lisa, curiously tugging on her turtleneck's collar. "I am a tad ashamed to admit it... but my napping functions decrease dramatically without the company of Lily." This prompted light chuckles and 'awws' from the others, making light pigments of pink appearing along Lisa's face, who crossed her arms and looked the other way, her ego slightly bruised. Lily waddled to her, and gave her youngest big sister a happy hug, highering the number of awws, especially from Goat Mom herself. "You're not helping in that matter." grumbled Lisa, though she patted Lily's small scalp.

Toriel could not shake the adorableness of this situation, and how familiar it felt to her. The laugh of children, their innocent joy, the light their spirits and SOULs brought to her life... She put a hand on her chest and gently squeezed it, feeling the joy and hope her own SOUL was experimenting at that moment. Gosh, she had missed that so much.

Positively beaming, the Goat Woman clapped her hands to get their attention once again. "Alright, I'd say those room arrangements are done. So before we head for some welcoming pie, I'd like to share with you how glad I am that you are here." She looked at each of the children's wide eyes, and let her smile dimminish a bit. "Life has been a tad lonely for me lately, and to see all rassembled here... it means a lot to me. Thank you for being here."

The kids felt their hearts swell ten times bigger at Toriel's praise, and moved closer to give her their famous family hug. "Ah shucks girl, you're getting some liquid pride outta me." said Lynn, explicitely NOT shedding a tear.

"Yeah, we're also glad to be with you." pursued Lincoln, his chipped tooth proeminent in his big toothy smile. "For protecting us from Flowey, and for just being so nice to us. Thanks Goat Mom."

It took all of Toriel's will to not just melt on the spot under this showering of affection, but she knew she had to stay strong, resolved. So as the big hug ended, she spoke again, "I promise you, children, that your stay shall not be bland. I have so many things I want to share with you, like my collection of books." Lucy perked up, the ghost of a grin rearing its form on her face. "I want to show you my favourite bug-hunting spot." Lana gasped in pure delight. "And I have also prepared a curriculum for some education that you might need." Lisa nodded her head with approval, and Toriel's smile widened a little more. "You know, it may come as a surprise to you... but I've always wanted to be a teacher, and create my own school for children to properly learn while still enjoying themselves." The Louds exchanged glances, and began to giggle, much to Toriel's confusion. "What ? Was it something I said ?" she asked.

"No offense, but I think we already guessed and _learned_ that on our own." chuckled Luan, giving Toriel a knowing elbow nudge.

Toriel blinked, then gave a slightly embarassed chuckle of her own. "Yes, perhaps it is not _that_ surprising." Her face scrunched up for an instant. " **Still.** I shall make your stay as enjoyable as possible." She excitedly brought her hands together. "Now, let's go enjoy some freshly baked pie."

The Louds answered with a _loud_ "YAY !", and were ready to go join the feast, when suddenly...

 _*Prrrt!*_

There was silence in the room, but the Louds knew this gassy sound all too well. Instinctively, they all turned to their youngest sister, and saw that her nappy had doubled in volume.

"Poo-poo !" called Lily, confirming the siblings' suspicions as a foul smell began to invade the room.

"Aw man, we've got a code toxic green !" said Lincoln, pinching his nose to avoid fainting.

"Well to be fair, she's been holding it in since we fell down." pointed out Lana, also pinching her nose. She loved gross things, but Lily's stinky nappies were on a whole other level.

"We litterally need an express change right now !" ordered Lori, though she did not how her order would be carried on.

But a Goat Woman knew ! Immediately, Toriel stood up, took a hold of Lily, and rushed out of the door. "This way children, hurry !" she called hurriedly. The siblings immediately followed through.

Toriel threw the bathroom door open, revealing a tidy little aquamarine room, with a large bathtub, a sink, a lavatory, and most importantly at the moment, a baby-changing table, that looked a bit old despite its paint job.

Lily was immediately, but carefully, laid on the table, obliviously kicking her little legs in the air. Toriel removed the straps of the nappy, and had to protect her nose for the horrid odour that escaped it. "Oh... my." she simpy said, too aghast to say anything else.

"Yeah, that was a great idea you had Lana." grumbled Lola to her twin, launching herself into a mock imitation. "'Hey guys, what if we fed Lily some good ol' beans ? I'm sure nothing bad will come out of it !'" Her scowl hardened towards her sheepish twin. "Well look what's coming out right now."

"I thought it'd be funny !" Lana tried to defend herself, though not doing a very good job at it.

But though Toriel felt disgusted at the putrid scent, she knew something more important was at stake here. So she took the cursed object from under Lily's bottom, and got rid of it the most efficient way she could think of. By burning it with her magic ! In a matter of seconds, only ashes remained.

"Rad..." breathed Luna, impressed by Toriel's fire magic expertise.

Toriel then turned Lily over, grabbed the talc, applied with lightning speed, then took a freshly bought nappy, and in a flash, gave Lily decency again. The baby cooed joyfully, clapping for a mission well done. Only then Toriel allowed herself to wipe her brow.

"That was... awesome !" exclaimed Leni, followed by an excited chorus from the others. Toriel of course did not hold the 'World's Fastest Nappy Changing' title, that belonging to their own ultra-experienced Rita Loud. But still, Toriel's efficiency was something to be reckoned with.

But the Goat Woman wasn't of the competitive spirit on that matter. She simply took Lily in her arms, beaming with kindness. "There you go honey, all clean and beautiful." she said, giving her a little kiss on the nose, and prompting Lily to do the same. She turned to the door and began to walk out, Lily still in her large and fuzzy protective arms. "Now children, let us go truly enjoy that pie."

The Louds did not need to be told twice, and hurried out after her.

* * *

 _Later on..._

After savouring perfectly even slices of Cinammon-Butterscotch goodness, the Louds were up for a little relaxation time in the beige living room. Lisa and Lucy were already hitting the books from the room's bookshelves, with Lisa going over some Monster history and Lucy looking at a collection of poems from an unknown author. There was a place for the name, but it's as if it had vanished right off the cover...

How could the spooky eight-year-old _not_ want to read it after noticing that ?

Lana and Lola were playing a little further away, and Lynn was bouncing a ball Toriel had offered her, at the condition that she didn't attempt anything rash inside the house. Luna was busy humming a little tune to herself, drumming her fingers on the table. As for Lori, Leni, Luan, Lincoln, and Lily, they were all around Toriel by the fireplace. The woman herself was in her big brown arm chair, balancing the Loud toddler on her robbed knees, as she listened to the tales of the excited teens and pre-teen before her.

"And then, as veggies began bouncing everywhere, Lynn saw the odd one of the bunch, jumped trampoline-style with Luan and Luna's help, and caught it right in mid-air." counted Lincoln, making big movements with his arms to add 'context'.

"Pssh, compared to handball tryouts, it was a piece of cake." gloated Lynn, spinning the yellow ball on her finger like a pro.

"Of _carrot_ cake, hahaha !" cracked Luan, prompting groans from her siblings and muffled laughter from Toriel. "Aw come on, that joke wasn't that hard to _digest_ , don't let me be _planted_ here, like this joke is only good for the garbage _bean_. Hehe, get it ?" The un-rad _ish_ storm of puns left the Louds to loudly moan, and for a couple of them to burry their faces in the armchair.

"Hohoho, those were some _fruitful_ jokes indeed, Luan." chuckled Toriel. The young comedian was overjoyed to hear this, but was interrupted before she could pursue her _Pun-bo_.

"We also found a spider bake sale on the way here !" interjected Lori.

"Oh yeah, they were, like, super scary at first, but then they got us those yummy donuts !" chirped Leni, remembering the strange but tasty filling of the pastries.

"Oh ?" Toriel blinked. "I didn't know if you'd like them or not. I always give a little something for their cause, and their donuts are quite good. The only thing that bothers me is that I'm eating... um..."

She stopped herself when all the siblings, sans Leni and Lily, began to make various frantic gestures in Leni's back that had one clear message : _Not another word_. Leni, on the other hand, simply tilted her head. "Eating what ?" she innocently asked. The siblings got even more urgent with their signals, practically screaming for Toriel to abort the thought.

A couple of sweatdrops appeared on Toriel's head. She hated lying to a youngster, but if her sisters and brother were getting so worked up over it, perhas a little white lie was a better option. "J-Jam, yes ! I am not a jam person, so it just feels a little weird each time I eat it, even if it's really good." she explained, trying to keep the nervosity of her voice hidden.

Thankfully, Leni remained blissfully unaware as she did most of the time. "I totes understand ! I prefer smoothies for breakfast. And lunch. And sometimes dinner." Her face scrunched up a bit. "Dinner's the one in the evening, right ?"

The siblings let out a loud sigh of relief, and immediately disbanded when Leni turned around. Toriel chuckled again, what peculiar children they were.

As the discussion resumed with Goat Mom, a certain pair of twins was once again thrown into one of their conflicts, although it was clear this time who was starting it.

"Lana, don't you get near me !" yelled Lola threateningly as she backed up. "I don't want your filthy hands on me while I'm fixing my makeup !"

"But sis, that's the point." Lana laughed deviously, her arms arched for a forceful hug. "I'm gonna help you add some powder for your nose."

"You've been rubbing your arms in the dirt for two full minutes, I saw you !"

Lana's smile got even more mischevious. "And that makes a difference how ?"

Lola shrieked and ran for her cleanliness. Lana dropped on all fours and began to chase her. Toriel was a tad surprised, but saw that the siblings were unaffected by it, so she passed it as a simple game between the two.

But just like any game, an accident can happen so quickly. As the girls were taking a turn, one of Lana's laces got untied. She of course immediately tripped on it, sending her flying into her twin, and resulting into a blue and pink roly-poly, which nailed the bookshelf. On top of said bookshelf, was a sparkly blue vase. Or rather had been, because as the piece of furniture shook under the impact...

* _Crash !_ *

...the vase fell off it and shattered on the wooden floor, leaving only night blue fragments of it.

The siblings gasped at this, and all activity froze. With a nervous tone, Lola began to scold Lana. "Look at what you've done !"

"I-It's not my fault, those stupid laces just can't hold on !" replied Lana.

As the squabble began to intensify, the nine other humans turned their looks towards Toriel, who had tilted her head a tad downward, and was making a strange veil of obscurity shade her eyes. Her mouth was in a straight line, completely neutral, and even the warm fire of the fireplace seemed to become quiet. Swiftly, Toriel removed Lily from her knees, handed her to Lori, and stood up. She slowly approached the two culprits, as the other siblings quickly cleared the track, and watched in apprehension.

At that moment, the two girls truly felt small, with Toriel's large form looming over them, her face still impossible to read. The only thing peeking out of her face's shadows was a glint of red, which didn't ease the twins' feelings. The poor girls began to tremble out of fear.

"I-It was an accident, honest, we didn't mean to." said Lana, tears beginning to pinprick from the corners of her eyes.

"Y-Yeah, so... please don't be mad at us." squeaked Lola, her eyes also moisterising out of rare fear.

Toriel made no comment at first, and simply deployed her arms. The six-year-old duo winced and closed their eyes, terrified of what Toriel was about to do to them. Maybe throw fireballs at them like she did to Flowey, and then she'd throw them out of her house, and then, and then...

But instead of the fiery reception, the pair felt Toriel's large paws grasping their shoulders. They opened their eyes, and shakily looked at Toriel's face. Here, they did not find any anger, simply understanding. "Children." Toriel softly began. "There is no reason to be afraid of me. I said it before, I mean you no harm."

"B-B-But we broke your vase..." sniffled Lola, letting a couple of regretfultears run down her cheeks.

"Oh sweetie, it's just a vase. It breaks, it... always does, eventually." she spoke with a subtle hint of melancholia, but it quickly vanished. "What matters is that you two are alright, and understood what you did wrong. I trust you'll play a little safer inside the house from now on, will you not ?"

"Uh-huh..." meekly said Lana, rubbing her eyes. Toriel nodded, and helped wiping their tears away with her sleeves.

"Okay, now simply help me clean up, and this whole thing will be behind us, alright ?" proposed Toriel, which the twins immediately accepted, and went for a hug with their recently titled Goat Mom. The siblings smiled, fondly watching the scene and feeling relieved that all was well that ended well.

After a dozen more seconds or two, the hug ended, Toriel applied a light rub on their heads just in case, and got up. She looked at the clock on the wall opposite to the kitchen, and softly gasped. "Oh my, this late already ? It's almost time to make dinner." She began to head to the kitchen to fetch some cleaning tools for the twins, and left the kids with one rather unexpected question. "I wonder if I have all the ingredients for my Snail Pie tonight ?"

"SNAIL PIE ?!" exclaimed the siblings all at once, holding an excited/disgusted/curious/shocked/indifferent tone. Nothing in that day was going to be normal, was it ?

* * *

The Underground dwellers, and especially the ones from the Ruins, had little sunlight and the absence of a sky, but they still could tell the difference between day and night. Now that the sky had darkened, so had the Underground, ever so slightly, but noticeable enough to know it was time to hit the sack.

Toriel's house showed that by closing the shutters on the windows and a wall of magic to be erected where a front door could have been built, yet for a strange reason had not been. Inside the house, every light had been switched off, the fireplace held no fire, and everything was quiet. Then, coming up the stairs in the middle of the entrance hall, was Toriel herself. Her right hand was producing a small flame to light her way, and her left hand was over her mouth, trying to stiffle the laughter threatening to explode out of her lungs.

 _No body_ won the Skeleton Beauty Contest. How was **he** coming up with that stuff ?

But Toriel did her best not to laugh, as she did not want to wake up her new guests. She carefully tiptoed her way through the hallway, and went to take a peek in the red room.

The seven Loud kids had managed to spread on the floor, in the bed, and on it too. On the far left of the room, Lucy and Lynn had paired up, with Lucy sleeping with her arms crossed over her chest, and Lynn taking as much place as she could, stretching her limbs. Perhaps the most surprising was how despite their major personality differences, they both loudly snored, a small trickle of drool escaping their mouths in perfect balance.

Luna, Luan and Lincoln were also on the floor, sharing a common thin matress and fluffy cover. Luan's snoring was close to the sound of a motorboat, making Toriel understand why the rocker and the 'man with a plan' had requested earplugs after making the room arrangements. Lincoln was in the middle, had one hand in Luan's left hand, and the other in Luna's right hand. Both of the sisters were unconciously gently squeezing their hands, as if sending their brother comfort, and frankly, that was just adorable in Toriel's book.

Lola had taken possession of the bed, but Lana had insisted to share it with her. So while both didn't want to be next to the other, as it never resulted in anything good **ever** , they found a compromise they both agreed on. Lola was under the covers, perfectly tucked in and with a frilly sleep mask on her eyes, and Lana slept on the covers, having arranged herself like a dozing puppy and with a cover she had thrown over herself.

Seeing that everyone was currently in the land of dreams, Toriel gently closed the door, and quietly reached her own room. There on the ground were the two oldest and two youngest sisters, also sleeping in pairs. Leni was sporting a frilly sleeping mask, and was smiling as she held onto the small form of Lisa, who despite denying it with all the proofs her immensly active cortex could provide, was in fact sucking on her thumb during her sleep. And as for Lori and Lily, the oldest sister was carefully hugging the little bundle of joy, who was contently sucking on her dummy.

An inaudible 'aww' escaped Toriel's lips, and the woman was quick to reach her own bed, being careful not to step on anyone. She tucked herself in, already in her pajamas, and took a moment to reflect on the day _she_ had lived through today. Last night, it was only her in here. Now, there were eleven youths, all of different ages, and some of the sweetest humans she had the pleasure to encounter. It had been so long since the last human had departed from her little home, about fifteen years or so. And then they... just like the others...

But now, she would be alone no longer. She would not let any harm come to those children, she would care for them with all her SOUL, and most importantly, she would not let **HIM** get to them.

 _She would protect them. **No matter what, she would protect them. And it shall stay that way for as long as possible.**_

* * *

 **Author's Note : So yeah, this chapter got quite humongous in no time, 57 pages. And even then, I think I made some parts a little too short...**

 **But don't worry, because if you have played the game (which kinda must be a fact if you're here), you know that this is not the last time we see our favourite ghost. The Princess of Darkness shall see her morose companion again, I promise you that. Also, LucyxRocky shippers, at least keep me alive until I'm done with the story.**

 **Now though, the Louds are at the end of the Ruins. Their place in Toriel's house is secured, all seems nice and good. But you know what truly comes at the end of this arc. You know what's coming next...**

 _ **And yet, you're only half-right.**_

 **But anyway, I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Don't hesitate to leave a sweet Cinnamon-Butterscotch Review, and I hope to get the next chapter done sooner, with more fluff, more intrigue, and more less fluffy-stuff...**

 **In the meantime, this is Superdimentio77, wishing you millions of pie slices ! Which will get delivered as soon as I find that secret genielamp. To the Dunce-mobile ! (*** _ **60's Batman cutaway**_ ***)**


	7. Ruins, Part 5

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 1 : Ruins**

 **Part 5 : Heartbreak...**

 **Author's Note : * _Stares at computer like a broken doll_ * **

" **I'm on TV Tropes..."**

 ***Silence... then everything starts to blow up***

 **HOLY SH-**

 **( _Our team is currently experiencing some intense madness problems. Please wait, our program shall soon... wait, what's that dolphin doing here ?_ )**

 **[Trois Hours later...]**

 **Sorry, sorry, just had to get something out of my system. Seriously though, a dolphin ? But anyway, I am just so happy that my other Loud House story, 'It's Not a Date', has officially been recommended on the FanficRec section of the Loud House TV Tropes' Page !**

 **(* _Canned Clapping and Cheers*_ )**

 **I just can't believe I made it there ! Thank you Second_banana, who recommended my little fic ! Now, I'll be working hard for this here fic to make it as well !**

 **Yeah, hard work... which has been a little hard those last few weeks. The truth is, I wrote way better and faster when I was at my school, but now it's closed until September. I keep writing, but it comes out in smaller bursts. So don't be surprised if it takes a tad longer for chapters to come out...**

 **But enough rambling, you're here for a brand new chapter ! And you know which one is it, so you have nothing to worry about ! Sure it'll be sad for a moment, but surely this chapter will end in a big pile of hugs and understanding... right ?**

 **Again, many thanks for your numerous reviews and support, and please, enjoy the story.**

 **But again, a _dolphin_?! **

**Undertale is owned by Toby Fox, and The Loud House by Chris Savino and Nickelodeon.**

* * *

The Ruins were usually a very peaceful and quiet place, few monsters ever going over 60 decibels of general volume. Yet since a certain pack of humans had arrived, the place had certainly become a lot more lively and, well, _Loud_. A certain house was the most proeminent source of noises, but also the one place the monsters didn't dare to get too close to, by fear of angering its fiery householder.

Questionnable jokes, scratchy singing, small disputes, and "Goooaaaal !" shouts were usually heard at the very beginning of the day. The monsters inhabiting Home managed to get a good view of those strange humans, all siblings apparently, as they went to the market with their Goat Guardian. The Louds were a little unnerved at first, not because of all the monsters' different shapes and faces, but because of the way they fixed their gaze on them. As if they had been expected to come for a really long time...

Of course those looks would all shy away once Big T. threw in her motherly glare. But the kids still managed to make friendly conversations with them. The Looxes had apparently taken Luna's demand to heart, and had spread the word of friendship in favour of the Louds. The monsters ironically found them a little odd at first, but quickly warmed up to their presence and didn't dare to drag any of the children in a fight, not just because Toriel was always there to oversee the encounters.

But although Toriel was on her toes when any of the children would interract with another monster, she found pleasure in seeing them get along fine, especially with monster children, like a little Whimsun that apparently became a little braver thanks to them. He was still shaking like a leaf seen by someone suffering from Parkinson's disease, but the little thing was still talking with them, without sorry tears or fainting on the spot.

Still, it was at Toriel's place that the 'Loud Effect' was at its peak. And Toriel adored every minute of that loudness.

The Loud kids weren't careless though, they knew that although Toriel was very capable, she would quickly get overwhelmed if they adopted their general attitude from back home. Their parents had gotten the hang of it, with each child adding on the family chaos, but slowly so, letting time to the parents to adapt and discover. Here, it was eleven lively youths arriving all at once, and their status on the Michigan supermarkets' black lists was how it was for a reason. As such, Lori quickly called for a 'secret' meeting, and a schedule was made for when which Loud was to have their turn with Toriel, plus some rules to keep things secured.

For exemple, no dispute should ever get so bad that it would become necessary to apply the Sister Fight Protocole. Also, no going solo anywhere in the Ruins, always in group, and with at least a sister of age between Luan and Lori. And yes, that included Leni. Toriel had insisted that the pretty blonde could be trusted with that kind of responsibility. Leni had been full of joy and pride that day.

So with this pinch of order, the general chaos brought by the siblings was diminished to a more manageable level, and it gave Toriel the opportunity to bond with each of the kids.

With Leni, she got to exchange sewing tips, and discover a world she never knew truly existed : Human Fashion. The orchid purple gown the teen had made for Goat Mom was truly ravishing, and though Toriel kept on wearing her Royal Purple Robes most of the time, she put it on while going to the market, under the monsters' baffled and slightly enamoured looks. And on the side, Toriel did her best to teach the sweet teen, even if she had to go through Elementary stuff rather than usual high school work. Using Mall prices for maths also helped Toriel a lot to get her student invested.

With Luna, she assisted at impressive household solos. And those weren't named like that because they only took place in her home, it was also because the purple rocker used different items of the house to produce her vibes. But even without any instrument, Luna knew how to make some rad tunes, even with just a simple wooden spoon and a tap. Toriel heavily thought of finding her a real instrument at some point, so that she could have a sample of that Mick Swagger fellow's music, a man that Luna apparently idolized, seeing as she would give the brightest of smiles any time he was brought into the conversation. Luna's Karaoke night was also a big success, with Toriel's hilarious tentatives to sound 'hip', and a voice that managed to move the Louds to tears.

With Luan, the answer was pretty obvious. The comedian would share her best work with Toriel, bringing her her most successful routines and funniest jokes, so funny that they actually got a snicker or two from the other Louds, who still had heard the humour brand hundreds of times arleady. Luan would also throw in some juggling and accrobatic acts, though the last one got her shooting herself straight into the bookcase. As Luan had put it, it was one way to _hit the books_. The only odd thing in this punny exchange was that Toriel seemed unexplicably fond of skeleton jokes... but Luan didn't care, because puns competitions were still a blast, and Toriel was still very _humerus_.

With Lynn, it was about sport demonstration. The athlete wasn't shy to show what she knew, from basketball to soccer, from tennis to ping-pong, from Karate to Wrestling (with Lincoln as 'assistant'), she had them all. She also dragged Goat Mom into a football throwing session, and Lynn didn't hold anything back, confident that Toriel would catch the makeshift oval ball with ease. Well not only she did, but Toriel also got to show her own inner strength, as Lynn flew 10 meters backwards ( _about 33 feet_ ) by the impact of the ball thrown back at her. But he sportgirl wasn't mad at all, she was actually thrilled and her respect for Goat Mom grew, who she now nicknamed Toripedo during the next sessions.

That only resumed after she managed to talk the worried woman out of nursing her like she had shattered her entire spine. Seriously, Lynn wasn't even sure how many pillows Toriel had stacked behind her head. It hurt her pride a bit, but she didn't find the lack of heart to tell Nurse Toriel that.

With Lincoln, Toriel got to hear the tales of the Loud House, or at least the ones he could remember. The boy's narration was so effective, Toriel could almost swear she was in it, and thought it was a pretty good idea of their human mother to jolt them down, those adventures could become quite interesting if put on paper. Or better yet, on TV ! (* _Rimshot_ *)

Anyway, there were also the reenactment of his favourite Ace Savvy adventures – underwear inside the pants this time – and some questions about her life and the Ruins. Toriel proved a bit dodgy on the first, only answering to preferences and certain activities of her past, and on the second, could not provide any answer on 'Bright stars' or 'Narrator spirits'. Lincoln did not press on the subject, as he didn't want to worry Goat Mom over nothing serious. Or at least, what he hoped was nothing serious...

With Lucy, a new view on poetry appeared to Toriel's crimson eyes. She got to experience the chilling, yet beautiful works of brilliant authors like Edgar Allan Poe or Emily Dickinson. She then heard about the little goth's passion about everything, well, gothic, as well as her fondness for spooky mythology, both ancient and recent. Though the goat woman wondered, were those vampires and werewolves as attractive as the pale child was making them sound to be ? Oh well, she could roll with it, if it made her happy. Well, Lucy-happy anyway.

Also, Toriel learned that she was becoming one of Lucy's new muses for her poems and haïkus. The last one, entilted 'White and Purple' was... interesting, to say the least. The black-haired child also got to see her ghost friend from time to time, though according to the others, the two would usually just lay there, unmoving. Lucy interpreted it as a "break from the weight of the world on our shoulders" and a "way for her body to know what it'd become once Death would come to free her spirit from her fleshed prison". Toriel managed to take it in good stride, and commended her for her very diversified vocabulary. The little dark princess was pleased by that.

With Lana, action was the main theme. The little tyke was full of energy, and always eager to roll herself in every ounce of mud, filth, and other yucky stuff the Ruins had to offer. But Toriel didn't mind, kids would be kids after all. The visits to the bug-hunting spot were a hoot too. Many insects had the habit to come here, some very rare and special as Lisa had pointed out before. Lana even managed to find a crimson red Hercules beetle, with golden wings ! Toriel helped the excited tomboy to build a small terrarium for freshly named "Diego" to live, and Lana would always remember his feeding time. Sometimes, she would pluck some fresh insects from his bowl as a snack for herself.

There was one rule that didn't quite please Lana though. She could be as messy as she wanted during the day, but by 7 o'clock, it was obligatory bath time. And it wasn't just rinsing, Toriel would orchestrate the symphony of soap to make sure it also got behind the ears, no matter how grumpy the small blonde was about it. But even then, Toriel would manage to make this 'clean punishment' a fun time for Lana, with many fun games and wild water adventures that often resulted in dripping fur that would become humourously poofy once dried up.

With Lola, Toriel got to unlock her true beauty. Well, the little pink pageant queen said so anyway. She didn't manage to find any shoe that fit Goat Mom's huge feet, but it didn't stop Lola from trying to give the rest of her self a complete makeover. Whether Toriel accepted because of the savviness that emanated from Lola's speech or because she sounded adorable while saying it was anyone's guess, but what mattered was that Toriel did.

The three rounds went... um... The first one was rather benign, with a simple sleek dress, plus some rouge and lipstick. The second one, more heavy this time, got some strange reactions out of the Louds, with Lincoln giving himself a slap for some reason. And the third one got an unexpected twist when Toriel lit a scented candle with her hand and got the flame too close to her face smeared with make-up for a little too long.

It took a whole hour to convince the terrified Lola out of the closet, and that none of the revengeful Geisha ghosts Lucy had told her about were out to get her.

The little princess was also less demanding to Toriel than she normally was, barely raising her voice against her and only asking for one bedtime story. All of that without Toriel having to scold her once, only sending a meaningful stare each time she'd get a little too 'off-limits'. But bratty as she could sound sometimes, Toriel loved her little princess all the same.

With Lisa, Toriel had to activate her whole teacher knowledge. Lisa was an immense reservoir of knowledge that only begged to be filled up as much as possible. Toriel thus taught her most of what she knew about the basics of Monster Physionomy, Architecture, and some of their History, though she was a tad scarce on the last one.

In return, Lisa shared her science 'mumbo-jumbo' as some called it, with the latest findings and inventions made by man. Toriel was impressed by how much this 'Internet' was influencing the world today, although she could swear she had heard something similar around some monsters. As for her experiments, Toriel idly donated some fur and her fingerprints, though she insisted that her work was to be carried outside.

The first and only inside-the-house experiment result had left quite the sour taste, a horrible stench, and part of the roof to be fixed. Thank goodness for Lana and Lynn's quickness and experience in the roofing domain.

All in all, the eagerness of Toriel to both learn and share knowledge always managed to bring an eager smile to the small genius, as well as a profound respect for her praticality and swift reasoning. Also, the praising she would be given did get to her little cardiac muscle, she had to admit that fact.

But among all the Louds, none bonded more with Goat Mom than the two extremes of the kids' age chart.

With Lori, the teen managed to see a figure to follow in Toriel. Her calm in all situations. Managing to state that she meant business without raising her voice. Devising on the fly ways to please eleven kids of different ages and radically different interests. Lori felt that she could learn a whole lot from Toriel, and wanted to as well. And since her phone couldn't get any signal and needed to keep its battery preserved when it eventually would, the prime Loud sister spent most of her time around Toriel, trying to understand what it took to become a become a better leader and role model for her younger siblings, without them knowing it of course.

What Lori simply loved about Toriel was how unjudgemental she was of her, only giving her solutions and gentle talks about what she got wrong. There was never any word about failure, only ways to improve. And the teenager felt compelled to meet Toriel's expectations, trying her best to pacify her squabbling siblings instead of resorting to body-twisting threats. Sometimes she succeeded, other times she had to bear her fangs.

Toriel also seduced Lori's more refined tastes by showing her everything about making a delicious cup of tea, setting a refined table, or how to bake her signature scrumptious pies. Lori of course couldn't heat it up with fire magic like Toriel did, but made up for it by adding decoration on the pies, which Toriel commended as a wonderful idea. Lori couldn't stop grinning for the next twenty minutes afterwards.

And finally with baby Lily, their relation was based on a pure toddler-mother loving bond. Lily loved everything about Toriel. Her huge fuzzy arms, her soft robes she could nap on, her fluffy ears that she would lightly munch on, her kind voice, her tender eyes, her overall reassuring presence, and of course her yummy pies. Toriel had many toys for the little dumpling to play with. Lily got particularly fond of a light purple squeaky hammer, one that didn't leave an ouchie on her little fingers like the mean yellow one at her home. As for Toriel herself, the baby's adorableness and energy was enough to get a big smile out of her every time, and they got to share many fun and educational activities together.

One thing that everybody remembered the most between the two was that one time when Toriel fell right asleep with Lily while reading a book. When the Louds had come to check on the two, they found the woman laid in a messy way that they hadn't imagined possible for her to be in. Legs sprawled out, drooling, her reading glasses slightly falling off her nose, the sight was beyond amusing. After managing to stiffle their chuckles, the Louds awakened her, and Toriel, realizing the exemple she was setting, tried to brush the akwardness of the moment under the rug by pretending to read a book. The only problem was that instead of a book, she had grabbed Lily, kinda rendering her excuse null and void, and prompting great laughs from the children, which Toriel eventually joined in.

All in all, the fun simply never ended with Toriel. Games, stories, laughs, hugs, and much more to enjoy. With her, the Louds had their little oasis of comfort in the strange world of the Ruins, and safe from any attack from a certain flower. Curiously though, Flowey never reappeared after they had attained Toriel's house, not even as a yellow blur behind them. It was a little suspicious, but the kids barely cared. The longer Poppy the Psycho was out of their hair, the better.

Even the snail pies got a surprisingly unanimous acclaim. It took time to convince some of the youngsters to taste it, with Lola and Leni almost fainting on the spot while Lana, of course, immediately gobbled her slice whole. However, the taste proved to be very chicken-like, the filling was not as slimy as they expected, and the perfect mix of spices added to it made this dish a rousing success, worthy of being asked seconds.

Oh yeah, there was enough pie for _everyone_ to get seconds.

...Was there anything this woman could not do ?

The kids were thus mostly free activity-wise, but there were two things that they were truly tasked to not do. First, eating a chocolate bar that was mysteriously resting in the back of the fridge. This proved quite the challenge for the chocoholics that were the Loud sisters, but Toriel insisted to keep it wrapped and uneaten. No detail as to why, but the Louds decided to accept it, though Lincoln felt a pang of sadness coursing his SOUL for some reason...

Then, there was the mysterious staircase in Toriel's entrance hall. None of the kids could play downstairs or explore what was in it. Toriel kept claiming it was because it was unfit for young children to play in, but there was something strange about her insistence over that single dark hallway. And no matter who would try, the Goat Mom would always be there to get them out of it, like some weird power conferred by her maternal instinct. She even caught Lucy in the act ! But oh well, if Toriel said it was a bad idea, it had to be for a good reason...

Despite that, all was good and well... but in the midst of having so much fun, the Louds seriously lost track of the time. Before they even knew it, **six days** had passed ! And the kids weren't even realizing that, they were in fact already planning on things to do for the next two weeks ! It wasn't without a decent reason, but it seemed that the Louds were forgetting what they were meant to do, where they were meant to go.

 _But as they got tuckered in for this seventh night, a reminder was about to make itself known to one of them..._

* * *

* _Plic, ploc...*_

The constant sound of drops hitting the ground was what began to stir Lincoln out of his daze. The boy groaned as he shivered on what felt like a cold hard ground, with a cool wind assaulting his face.

' _Whu... wha ?_ ' mumbled the Loud boy internally. ' _What's that noise ? Am I sleeping in the bathtub again ? Wait no, Toriel wouldn't have let me..._ _But, it can't be rain. We're underground, how can rain fall underground ? Is it another weird thing this place can do ? Wait no, Toriel said there is no weather down here._ ' The boy's eyes began to flutter open. ' _What the heck is going on ?_ '

After a few tries, Lincoln managed to fully pry his eyelids open, and was met with the view of a cloudy sky. Yes, the sky. No purple stone roof, the true and honest sky. To say that Lincoln was confused was an understatement.

"When did we... how did we... was it all a dream dream ?" mumbled Lincoln to himself. The dots were simply not connecting in the pre-teen's mind. One minute he was inside Toriel's house, comfortably resting with his sisters, the next he was in... in... "Where am I anyways ?"

Lincoln slowly picked himself up, and began to look around. He first saw a bare tree, very much like the one in front of Toriel's house, but he could tell it looked different, and not just because of the black crows standing on it. Looking down, the boy could see the ground he stood on was composed of grey marble, with grass and dirt around it. Then, he saw some rocks, but those rocks weren't natural. They were carved, in line, most of them with crosses on top of them.

Lincoln's eyes widened. He had accompanied Lucy at enough of her grave-digging competitions and funeral practices to understand that he was now standing in a **Cemetery**.

"H-How did I get here ?" said Lincoln a tad fearfully. He tried to breathe calmly, but every breath of cold air he took did little to reassure him. "Where am I ? If all of this was a dream, I should be under my tent on the mountain, right next to- * _Gasp*_ where are the girls ?!" He began to quickly pace around, calling his sisters' names. "Lori ?! Luna ?! Lily ! Girls, if you hear me, give me a sign, I'll take anything ! Even a chinese burn from you Lynn !"

But all he got for an answer was the never-ending clattering sound of the raindrops falling on the ground. Things were starting to look grim, and if it wasn't through his little black-haired sister, then there was something truly wrong going on.

Lincoln gulped, and asked again, meekly this time. "Please, is there someone out there ?"

"Thank you all for coming in such large numbers despite the unpleasant weather."

"Yargh !" yelped Lincoln, startled by the strange gritty voice, which he could tell was from none of his sisters and didn't sound anything like the one that usually played out in his head. As he looked around for the source, he spotted blurred forms in the distance. With curiosity and a bit of hope, Lincoln walked towards them. "Um, hello ? I-I'm sorry to interrupt, but can someone tell me where I am ?"

"We are gathered here, to say our final good-byes to those who have vanished." continued the voice, completely ignoring the boy's question. Upon approaching, Lincoln recognized one of the undertakers from Royal Woods' death care industry.

' _But... I'm not supposed to be in Royal Woods._ ' thought Lincoln, holding his head as he could feel it swelling up with questions. Still, he tried to adress the man by reaching to his dark coat. "Sir, I'm really sorry, but could you tell me- AH !" Lincoln yelled as he saw his hand passing through the grey-skinned man's coat and body. He quickly retracted his hand, and heard the man going on with his duty, as if the boy wasn't here at all.

"We will honour their memories, we will honour them for who they were." recited the man swiftly, years of experience showing in his monotone yet compassionate voice. "For the friendships they kindled. For the brothers and sisters they were, even without the link of the blood. And... for the wonderful and full-of-life children that they were."

"Wha- children ? But... who died ?" asked Lincoln, once again not getting any response. His focus shifted however when he heard sobbing. Well it seemed to be a funeral, so that'd be normal to hear someone crying. But he knew that sobbing. He remembered all too well the night of the day Lynn had attempted a dangerous 1440° on her board to impress her pals, and had been put in intensive care after her **skull had landed hard on a metal bar**. He had to wait for hours in the hospital hallway, between a just as concerned Luan and his sobbing...

"Mom ?" murmured Lincoln, turning his head to see a crowd assembled, all wearing black garments and protected from the rain by black umbrellas. And sure enough, in the absolute front row, was Rita Loud, right next to her husband. And the poor woman was busy crying her eyes out, doing to Lynn Sr.'s shoulder what the rain could not do. _Only the rain could not make it this sad._

"I c-can't believe it... my babies, my poor babies..." sobbed the woman as her husband tried to reassure her with a pat on the back. But although he tried to stay strong, the father was crying just as much.

To Lincoln, the sight was simply heartwrenching. He tried to signal his presence by waving his hand in front of their faces and to poke them, but once again saw his hand passing through them like they were ghosts.

 _Or like **he** was a ghost._

"Mom, Dad, what is going on ? Why're you crying ?" Lincoln begged for an answer.

"My babies, why did you have to go ? Please, come back, I'll do anything..." repeated Rita, her form still rocked by sobs.

"What are you talking about, Mom ?! What... babies ?.."

Lincoln's voice all but disappeared on the last word. Certainly she could not be implying...

Slowly, Lincoln turned around to take a good view of the grave, or rather the huge tombstone behind the still-reading undertaker. He walked a little closer to take a good look, and almost as if knowing it, a flash of lightning lit up the place and the name engraved in the grey stone.

 _Or rather, the **names** engraved in it._

"No..." whispered Lincoln in horror.

 **In memory of Rita and Lynn Loud's beloved children:**

 **Lori Loud**

 **Leni Loud**

 **Luna Loud**

 **Luan Loud**

 **Lynn jr. Loud**

 **Lincoln Loud**

 **Lucy Loud**

 **Lana Loud**

 **Lola Loud**

 **Lisa Loud**

 **Lily Loud**

 **May they rest in peace.**

Lincoln recoiled, aghast of what he was witnessing. This was no mere tombstone, it was THEIR tombstone _._ But that simply made no sense ! Lincoln turned back to the crowd, and began to see the people in the crowd more clearly.

There was Clyde with his dads, bawling like an infant. The poor boy had in one swoop, lost what was pratically his brother, and the love of his life. But seeing as the name he was constantly blubbering was not Lori's, it was clear who he was truly missing the most here.

Bobby was there too, and looking no better. The special connection between the jack of all trades and the eldest Loud child was admittedly sickening at times, but was just too pure to be truly dissed by their siblings. And as Bobby could demonstrate it through various and very well-thought-out romantic gestures, he was displaying it here by the unhealthy amount of grief and tears rolling down his face.

Lincoln recognized many other familiar faces, all close friends to either him or his sisters. Zach, Liam, Rusty, but also Polly, Giggles, Tabby, Haiku, Rocky, Chunk, Maggie, Margo, all of Lynn's football team, , and many others. But all of them looked so _broken_ , so sad that it almost got Lincoln crying too. Even was there, tears of regret and unadmitted compassion for the children washing down his wrinkled cheeks.

But what truly put the final nail in the coffin for Lincoln Loud, was the person that now stood directly in front of the tombstone. She lacked her shorts and purple hoodie, but Lincoln could recognize that hair and those adorable freckles anywhere. The hispanic girl just stood there, looking at something in her hands. Lincoln crept a little closer, and choked on his breath when he saw the item.

It was the photo they took after they won the Swords and Cyborgs National Tournament. A simple but heartwarming photo taken by Clyde, where the two shared an embrace after Lincoln gave out the huge trophy to her. It simply began with a few playful hits in the shoulder to one another, then romance played out.

And it was this picture, neatly put in a frame, that the girl's tears slowly fell on. Nothing of the tough tomboy remained in her stance or expression, only grief and sadness. The girl who would look at _The Harverster II: The Gathering_ and laugh it off, was now trembling and hiccuping. Seeing her so frail and vulnerable simply did not sit well with Lincoln.

And then, she spoke.

"You promised..." she murmured in a shattered whisper. "You promised you'd come back, you promised. W-Why did you lie to me ?" she hiccupped, before falling on her knees, not giving a damn about the foot of her black dress splashing into the mud. "You can't just go like that, y-y-you lame-o. I... I love you..."

"Ronnie-Anne ! Look Ronnie-Anne, I'm right here !" yelled Lincoln, trying all he could do for her to notice him. But his presence remained non-existant, with his hands still grasping nothing no matter how much he tried. The uselessness of his actions was enough for despair to worm its way into his mind. He turned to the sobbing crowd of his loved ones, and desperately tried to reach out to them. "I'm here ! M-Me and the girls are not dead ! We're fine ! Please stop crying ! Stop crying !"

But his cries all fell on deaf ears, and the crowd's wailing only intensified, as did the pouring of the rain. It was just too much for poor Lincoln, who crashed on his knees, the heavy atmosphere taking its toll on him. But it was upon this action that Lincoln realized that something was wrong here. When he touched the floor, he simply felt a cold, **dry** texture. Plus, there was a shower falling above him, and yet he couldn't feel a single drop touching him. Water absolutely everywhere, and Lincoln simply wouldn't feel it.

As he tried harder, he suddenly saw the ground ripple under his feet, as did the all-grey background around him, with nothing even close to be distinguishable. Suddenly, it all made sense to Lincoln. "I'm... I'm just dreaming." said Lincoln, feeling a whole lot more relieved. "It's just a very bad dream..."

* _But it will not stay that way for long._

The sudden voice scared Lincoln good, but he quickly made up for it by looking around to find the source, to see who had finally noticed his presence. And he found it right where the undertaker had been a moment ago. When taking a good look, Lincoln felt an odd sense of familiarity, despite the fact that he was sure that he had never seen this person before in his life.

The person appeared to be human, a child even, looking just as old and tall as him. The child had brown hair in a bowl cut, light brown pants, brown shoes, and a green sweater with a yellow stripe. The last piece of clothing seemed quite ruffled and dirty, as was their hair. They also looked like they hadn't eaten in quite a while. The oddest part of their form however, was their face. Their cheeks were rosey as if they were made of porcelain, and their red eyes shone behind their messy bangs, although they were not as concealing as Lucy's were.

The strange human stood there, completely still. The look on their face however was not peaceful by a iota, sending a downright hateful glare in the Loud brother's direction. The spite and share disgust in their eyes was enough to make Lincoln's knees quiver, even if he didn't have the foggiest idea of what he had done to deserve this treatement.

But as afraid as he was, Lincoln felt he still had to try communicate with this strange person. "Um... hey there ? Do I... know you from somewhere ?"

The brown-haired child didn't move an inch and kept glaring, but responded nontheless.

* _I see that you've already forgotten me. But then again, you do seem to have this nasty habit._

"I've heard your voice before, I'm sure of it." said Lincoln, intensely scratching his chin. Then the answer crashed onto him faster that the aftermath of an overdose of Zombie Bran. "Wait, you're that voice in my head, aren't you ?!"

* _Who I am does not matter. Look around you._

Lincoln obeyed, but only saw the greyed out image of his loved ones still crying for his and sisters' _death_. "W-What am I supposed to see ?" he asked sadly.

* _What you see is what the future could most likely become. This is the pain and sorrow you and your siblings will inflict to these people._

"B-But that can't be ! We're alive !"

* _It can, because the fact that you are alive changes nothing. You have vanished on Mount Ebbot, and you know the legend. Everyone knows the legend. But why defending yourself ? It's not like any of this matters to you._

"What are you talking about ? Of course they matter, they're my friends and family !" rebuked Lincoln, starting to feel a little frustrated by this whole act. His bravado ended however when the mysterious human's glare became even harsher, if that was even possible.

* _I've been through your mind and memories, **human**. You're having fun with Toriel. So much fun that you've forgotten what you were supposed to do. Who you were supposed to get back to._

"T-That's not true..." whimpered Lincoln pitifully.

* _Oh ? You dare say that the thought of staying here forever never crossed your mind ? Look into my eyes, and tell me that you've never thought of remaining permanently into those Ruins._

Lincoln opened his mouth, but the words just wouldn't climb out of his throat. He could feel his SOUL shake with uncertainty, but upon close inspection, he could see that the multicoloured contour that was usually around his SOUL was gone, and that a small red string was attached to it. Following it, Lincoln saw that the string linked him to a hollow red heart-shaped outline, that floated just before the strange human's chest.

The human, not hearing any interruption, kept going.

* _You can't say it, can you ? You know that would be a lie. Because despite the fact that you're a_ ** _human_** _, you still have a conscience. But you just can't admit that. I truly thought you would be different, but..._

The enigmatic child's voice was now dripping with resentment, and despite bowing his head, they kept their red irises onto the human.

* ** _You humans truly are all the same._**

Lincoln arched an eyebrow. "Wait, but aren't you human too-" He cut himself with a yelp, because in the blink of an eye, the child was standing in front of him, fixing a death glare on the boy.

* ** _NEVER SAY THAT AGAIN. I am not like you. I will never be like you. I do not hurt my..._**

The apparently non-human hesitated for a second, then shook their head to get back to the business at hand.

* _But we're not talking about me. We're talking about you and your sisters. And what your selfishness is doing to your parents and friends as we speak. This dream you see here is only a product of your subconcious, because deep down, you yourself know your crime._

Lincoln kept being at a loss for words. He looked at everyone, his parents, Clyde, Ronnie-Anne, and all he could feel was shame. For a moment, Lincoln thought that this strange being that had decided to accommodate itself in his head was the one trying to make him feel bad to pierce his spirit or something, but the boy quickly saw that he was getting into denial.

He wasn't sure about Ronnie-Anne, or Clyde, or the others, but he knew that those downright shattered expressions his parents had here, were certainly the very ones his real parents were sporting right at this very instant, crying themselves to sleep over losing all of their children. Heck, if they were even sleeping at all. After all those fine words back when they first arrived, they had all but forgotten it, for their own personnal amusement...

"Y-You're right..." murmured Lincoln with a heavy sniffle. "We didn't mean to, but we did... Mom, dad, everyone... We're disgusting..."

* _Now is not the time for self-pity, Lincoln Loud. If you wanna prove that you are better than that, then you must ACT upon your awakening. It will not be easy... but you will have to say good-bye to Toriel._

Another needle pricked Lincoln's heavy heart. Saying good-bye to Goat Mom ? That would mean... leaving her all alone. But the words she had used when they had arrived...

" _Life has been a tad lonely for me lately, and to see all rassembled here... it means a lot to me. Thank you for being here._ "

Lincoln shakily looked up at the sweater-clad child, who kept gazing at him coldly. "But... can't she just accompany us to the surface ?" he asked pleadingly.

The child remained stoic, but a hint of pity passed in their eyes. They put their quite skinny hand on his shoulder, and spoke in their usual neutral tone.

* _That is impossible. For many reasons that you will soon discover. Now though, I need to see you wake up, in more sense than one._

Their red eyes gained a dangerous glow.

* ** _Or else, you might quickly lose control of more than your own destiny..._**

Suddenly, Lincoln felt something wrapping up around his leg. Looking down, he saw a big thorny vine coil around his pant leg. He tried shaking it off, but not only did the vine hold strong, more of them quickly joined in. Once both of his legs were all wrapped up with the plants, they tripped him up, and began to pull the poor boy away.

"Aaah ! What's happening ?! Help me !" called Lincoln to the child. But when he looked up, there was no trace of the mysterious spirit. Lincoln tried clawing his hands into the dirt to stop himself, but the vines kept pulling him towards the open hole that had mysteriously appeared.

And once he was close, the vines yanked him right inside. The white-haired child called for help, for his sisters, for Toriel, for anyone...

 **But nobody came...**

The vines took advantage of his fear to creep higher on his body, sinuating around his arms, chest, and finally mouth. Lincoln's cries for help were muffled, but that didn't stop him from trashing around to free himself.

" _Oh, now that's just adorable._ "

Lincoln's entire being froze. That voice. That awful, awful voice...

" _You want to stay here forever, don'tcha ?_ "

His forehead was quickly drenched in sweat and a couple of frightened tears stinging the corner of his eyes, Lincoln slowly turned around, despite his conciousness screaming him to stay put. He thought he was going to find something horrible.

 _He found much, much worse._

It was indeed Flowey standing there, but in a more monstruous form, measuring twice Lincoln's size, and his terrifying smile now full of razor-sharp teeth dripping with drool. His demonic voice had lowered in pitch, sounding even more horrific and dangerous. Dozens of bulky vines full of thorns danced around his petaled head, all looking eager to make mincemeat out of the poor trembling child.

" _ **Well, I believe I can help you with that right now ! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !**_ " cackled the flower dementedly, making the very air and atmosphere ripple.

In a flash, the deadly vines all lashed out towards Lincoln's direction, who could only watch in horror the hundreds of them approaching closer, and closer, and closer...

 **UNTIL-**

* * *

* _GASP !_ *

Lincoln took several gulps of precious oxygen to calm himself down, feeling his heart quite litterally assaulting his chest. He was covered in cold sweat and pratically crying, trying to convince himself that all of this had just been a messed up nightmare. Looking around, all he could see was the soothing sight of his dozing sisters, with Luna and Luan on his sides. The simple fact of seeing the two mumbling in their sleep, one singing and the other one telling bad jokes, was enough to slowly but surely ease Lincoln's worry.

A bit of it returned when the creaking noise of the door opening startled the boy. A familiar furry face appeared by the little open space. "Lincoln, child, are you quite alright ?" softly asked Toriel with a smidge of worry lacing her voice.

Lincoln hesitated, remembering the words of the mysterious child. But... perhaps it could wait a little longer. "Y-Yeah, just a little nightmare. But I'm alright, and my sheets are dry, so don't worry about it." feigned Lincoln, putting on the most convincing smile he could right now.

Toriel's expression went from a worried frown to a warm smile. "Ah, I see. In that case, have a nice rest. And if you get frightened, know that I'm always avaliable to talk about it, alright ?"

"Yeah, thanks Goat Mom. Good night." nodded Lincoln.

Toriel quietly chuckled, wished him a good night too, and closed the door. In darkness once more, Lincoln's smile fell down, and his head descended on his pillow. He looked at the ceiling, already brainstorming his future choices.

* _You seem to be more of a night_ chicken _than a night owl._

"Oh shush." whispered Lincoln, feeling annoyed. "It's the middle of the night, I can bother her and my sisters in the morning. Besides, if you've been through my memories, then you should know what most of my sisters will do to me if I try to wake them up that early."

* _...True. But I wonder what new **excuse** you'll find in the morning._

"I guess we'll find out in said morning. Now let me sleep !" Lincoln ushed the voice. It didn't fire back, making Lincoln the winner of this round. With a sigh, he put his sweaty hands back in his big sisters' clean ones. When he felt their gentle squeeze, he flashed a reassured smile and closed his peepers. He'd find a solution in the morning, he was sure of it.

 _Well, almost sure of it, yeah..._

* * *

"Alright sleepyheads, everybody litterally wake up !"

Lincoln's eyelids creaked open, and a morning groan escaped his lungs. When Toriel was busy with breakfast, that meant Lori's bossy voice was the first thing greeting them upon waking up. But it also meant that the younger siblings could forget about five more minutes of sleep, unless they'd like to be _litteraly_ kicked off their matresses.

Luna yawned, oddly hitting the right note, and gave a tired smile to her little bro. "Hey bro, you slept well ?"

"It was okay, had a little nightmare, but I got better." replied Lincoln. He nervously scratched his ear, thinking of how he could approach this sensible topic. "Luna, could I ask you something ? Not just you, but everyone too ?"

"Can it wait until after breakfast, bro ? I can smell Tori's yummy **pie** cakes from here, and my stomach's on full hunger solo here." chuckled Luna as she held her growling tummy, which only resonated with the ones of every youth present, Lincoln's included.

The sole brother blushed a little, feeling both relieved and disappointed by this answer. But yes, he reasoned, the girls would certainly be in a much better listening mood once their stomachs were full. Lana and Lola were pratically walking and grunting like zombies, slowly following the sweet scent of batter flesh and syrupy blood.

"Yeah, I guess some grub does sound nice right about now." said Lincoln. As the sisters all trudged outside the room, Lincoln took a moment to reflect upon himself, and what he'd have to do after breakfast. He turned to the camera, and let out a sigh. "Maybe breakfast will give me some ideas, because right now, I just don't know how I'm gonna tell them..."

Without any better plan, Lincoln got up, stretched his limbs, and exited the room, hoping he would manage to swallow Toriel's delicious breakfast.

* * *

After a good breakfast and queuing up in front of the bathroom, the Loud children were rassembled in the red room, with the sisters all chatting jovially.

"I still do not have the foggiest idea of what our Guardian puts in those delicacies, but I swear on my Junior Nobel Prize that I'll find out someday." said Lisa, contently rubbing her little stomach while her baby sister immitated her.

"Not sure if it's good for my diet, but I so don't care." added Lynn with a little burp.

"I can't wait for Toriel to take us to the market place again. I wanna try those weird berries that Vegetoid was selling the other day !" whooped Lana as she and her twin sister were bouncing on the bed again.

"Oooh, and maybe that cute dress too. It'll totes look great with that new headband I got last time !" chirped Leni as she put the final arrangements on her nail painting.

"I wonder if Napstablook will be here today. I haven't seen him for two days. Did I say something wrong to him ? _Sigh_ , I may never know..." mumbled Lucy, feeling a bit downhearted today. The more upbeat Luan patted her back reassuringly, feeling sorry for the little goth.

The excited chit-chat running around the room should've made Lincoln feel better, but it had quite the opposite effect. All he could think about was the downpour he was about to put on his sisters' sunny mood. The breakfast had not been much better, as though Lincoln had managed to eat, the smiles and laughs shared with the kind Goat monster only served to make him feel worse.

But he knew it had to be done. He could still vividly remember his nightmare, his parents, friends, and girlfriend bawling their eyes out because of what they were doing. This was something he simply couldn't let happen while his mind was straight. All he needed right now was a little push.

And Luna unconsciously obliged by bumping his bro's shoulder and chillingly saying, "Well bro, what was it you wanted to tell everyone earlier ?"

Silence immediately fell at that, with the girls looking more or less interested in what their brother had to say. Lincoln felt his nervosity triple, even as he kept telling himself that he had given speeches to so many people before. But he knew that this time, it was different, and that he couldn't get out of it.

So with a shaky sigh, Lincoln managed to find his voice. "Guys, I wanted to ask you something. Something... important."

"Shoot away, Lincs my good man." piped Luan with a toothful smile.

"How much longer are we gonna stay here ?"

All eyes widened around Lincoln, certainly not expecting that kind of question, nor truly understanding it. "What's that question supposed to mean ?" said Lola, trying not to sound too confused.

"It means, shouldn't we be trying to go home ?" added the boy.

Lynn tilted her head. "Home ? I ain't following you here."

Lincoln's hand felt that his face was feeling lonely, so she decided to join it as quickly and hard as possible. Lincoln couldn't believe it. He knew his jock of a sister could be a little dense at times, but she couldn't be implying what Lincoln felt that she was implying. He decided to try a different approach.

"Can any one of you tell me how much time we've been here please ?"

"Two minutes ! I win !" Leni celebrated like she had won the lottery. It seemed that in her book, a little victory was a victory worth celebrating for.

"I'm afraid your guess is off-topic, Leni. Our brother was clearly referring to the time we've passed here in this household." pointed out Lisa.

"And the answer is ..?" pressed on Lincoln, starting to grind his teeth in sheer annoyance.

Lisa referred to the abacus offered to her by Toriel. "I'd say... approximatively 6 and a half days." she analyzed, then arching an eyebrow, "But I fail to see your reasonnement here."

"You cannot seriously tell me that you don't see the problem in what you just said." said Lincoln, now starting to lose his temper. But he chose to calm down, as he reminded himself that he was just as guilty in this affair.

"Alright Lincoln, let's litteraly stop with your annoying little act, and cut right up to the chase." sneered Lori hautingly. "What is the problem here ?"

"The problem is that we've been stagnating for over six days ! We've forgotten what we were supposed to do in the first place ! Going back up there !" bellowed Lincoln, pointing at the ceiling.

Seeing her bro getting so riled up, Luna immediately felt necessary to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Bro, calm down. We didn't forget, we're just, you know, enjoying the scenery a little. And what a scenery it is ! Besides, it ain't like we're hurting anyone..."

Hearing this sentence from one of his sisters was already bad for Lincoln, but to hear it from wise Luna simply proved to much for the brother, who could feel his blood boil anew. "Not hurting anyone ?" he began heatedly, slapping away Luna's hand, much to the shock of his sisters. "Are you for real right now ?! Don't you understand the kind of horrible monsters we are being right now ?!"

"Okay, what's gotten into you ?!" interrupted Lori, getting fed up of her brother's recent attitude. "Since this morning, you've been looking worse than the time they cancelled the animated series of Ace Savvy, and now you're lashing out on us !"

"Yeah Lincs, you're being all weird right now. What's the problem ?" said Lana, feeling a bit scared of her big bro's visible, but confusing anger.

"Poo-poo ?" asked Lily with a small whine.

Lincoln took a sharp breather throug his nose, and exhaled it as slowly as he could. He was coming up as weird and crazy right now, he needed solid context. He didn't like how blunt he knew he was about to be, but convincing them he had to.

"I... had a nightmare last night. In it... I saw the owner of the voice that's been talking through me since we fell down." Lincoln started his tale.

Lucy perked up at the mention of the enigmatic spirit, and quickly approached her surprised brother. "You've come in contact with the presence haunting you, and without the help of any séance. Unprecedented, but insightful. Was it a he or a she ? Was it even human ? How many eyes did they possess ?" The others were quite surprised of seeing Lucy talking so much, so quickly, and most importantly, with so much interest and emotion.

"No, it was human, and I'm not sure what gender he or she was. But that's not important !" said Lincoln, gently pushing his little sister away. "What matters is what they showed me. It was a funeral." The boy bowed his head, not eager to see their reactions. " _ **Our**_ _funeral..._ "

A sharp gasp rose in the room. The girls could feel a strange shiver passing down their spines, but none could find the right words to reply at such a story. And they had a feeling that it would soon get worse, as Lincoln spoke again.

"Apparently, we were believed to have just vanished from the surface of the earth. Kinda like we are right now." said Lincoln, uttering a small dry chuckle. "But it wasn't us being dead that was the worst part, far from it. It was the people attending, all the people we know were there, crying for our disappearance. And upfront... were Mom and Dad." Lincoln's voice cracked a little at the end.

An immense feeling of sadness began to take over the children as Lincoln's words started to hit home.

"Mom was crying on Dad's shoulder, calling for us, begging for her children to come back. Dad couldn't even say anything, too busy crying as well." He stopped an instant to both let it sink in and steel himself for the end of this story. "Then, the voice told me that it was what we were doing to them right now. And the worst is, they're most likely **right**. To just imagine how crushed they must be right now... and all while we are having fun down there. Fun that apparently isn't _harming anybody_."

As his eyes began to moister, Lincoln looked back up at his sisters. The guilt, shame and sadness were all too apparent, some of them even starting to cry. The worst one though had to be Luna, who was downright trembling and hiccupping in regret of being so selfishly careless, with her fashionista of a big sister trying to hug her out of her funk, although tears were rolling down her cheeks too.

Seeing all this regret, Lincoln decided it was time to soften up a bit. "Guys, I'm not saying that to make you all feel bad, alright ? I'm no better after all. It's just... what we're doing here, it's not right. We can't keep doing this, not while there's a chance we can go back to them, not while we make them suffer like this." Wetness began trailing down his cheeks. Great, now he was starting to cry too. "I know it's not easy to admit... but we have to go. We have to say good-bye to Toriel."

"But wait, can't she just come with us ?" attempted Lana rather meekly, with Lola nodding behind her. "S-She can show us the way back home. Or better yet, come with us to the Surface ! I-I'm sure she can settle somewhere on the mountain, and we'll come to visit !"

Lincoln stayed silent for a moment. He could remember and feel the presence's disapproval on the matter. _Impossible_ , they said. But one glance at the sad, yet slightly hopeful faces of the twins was enough to make him think. He was forced to admit, for Toriel to follow them back to the Surface would be wonderful. It wouldn't hurt to try asking, would it ? As such, Lincoln chose to skip on that small detail.

"Yeah, I guess we can ask her. But what truly matters here is, we gotta go. _Today_."

Lincoln sighed in relief, despite the argument not being quite over yet. He had done his part, exposed his woes and resolution. The ball was in his sisters' court now, and he could only wait to see if they'd either follow his reasonnement, or let their fondness for the kind substitute mother win them over.

All looked uncertain about this. Lisa was meaninglessly scribbling down her thoughts, Leni was gazing into Lily's eyes as if looking into a magic 8-ball for an answer, Lynn made her lucky baseball bounce once against the wall before gazing at it, Lucy sat in the corner with her head against her knees, mumbling to herself, Lana and Lola were sadly looking down at the floor, Luan tried thinking of a little joke to warm up the atmosphere, but without any success, and plopped down on one of the matresses against the wall right by her roomate's side, who was busy reminiscing herself the lyrics of her favourite Englishman to find some enlightenment in them.

However, the uncertainty was fairly weaker in one Lori's mind, but the frustration was much more potent. She couldn't believe that once again, Lincoln was the voice of reason. How could she have let this happen ? She was supposed to safely lead her siblings back home, but instead she had let herself being lured into this selfishly comfortable stagnation. If she could've given herself a slap without looking like a cuckoo-clock, Lori would've done it without hesitation.

But now was not the time for this. Now was the time to get things done, and to move forward. **Patience** had run out, time for action.

"Girls, Lincoln is absolutely right." Lori's tongue stung a bit admitting that part. "If there's an exit, Toriel is bound to know where it is. Or at least a way out of those Ruins. This Underground place litteraly has to be bigger than this old city."

"And that's not all." perked up Lucy, now close to her yelping big sister. "When I read Toriel's books about Monster lore, there were many references about some kind of **barrier** , like in Lincoln's legend. If that place is anything like I think it is and we can find it, then we might have a chance to meet the sun again. Well, the surface anyway, I couldn't care less about that shiny poser."

"Ah come on, the sun ain't no poser. He's been a real _world star_ for a long time now, hahahaha !" guffawed Luan, feeling her energy getting back to her.

Lisa stood a bit straighter, and rearranged her glasses' position. "Joke and pessimism aside, this does seem to be the better option. Besides, I am rather curious as to where the monsters this city had be built for went, or where this King of theirs presently resides."

"Oh yeah, the King ! I bet he has a super big castle, with Gold everywhere !" fantasized Lola, her pupils once again taking the shape of dollar signs.

Lynn jumped on her feet and punched her open palm, a renewed fire in her eyes. "Then what the heck are we waiting for ? Let's go see Goat Mom, and start jogging our way to freedom !" rallied the brown-haired athlete.

"YEAH !" cheered the kids, with Lincoln smiling the brightest. Now that he had his sisters with him, failure didn't feel like a possibility anymore.

With that said, the Louds exited the room, ready to 'confront' Toriel for a way out of the Ruins. They of course turned the lights off, plunging the room into obscurity.

 _Thus took off the last children, ending the room's mission by leaving it empty once more, and this time, **forever**._

* * *

The siblings arrived in the living room, and found Toriel in her usual reading spot, comfortably seated and reading a good book while humming a soft little tune to herself. Seeing her so full of mirth made a dry feeling appear in the Louds' throats. But they all knew that they couldn't back down, not while their parents could be drowning in their woes. Besides, nothing said that they had to part ways with her yet.

So they carefully stepped forward to Toriel, who finally noticed them and adressed them her iconic motherly smile. "Oh, hello children." she warmly greeted, being none the wiser of what was about to happen. "Are you ready for our trip to the market already ? We shall be going in about a quarter of hour. And do not worry, I have not forgotten about all the places you want to visit, including the library." She smiled at Lisa and Lucy, who responded with a smile of their own, trying to hide their nervosity.

Lincoln looked at all his sisters, and couldn't help but share their nervousness. A lone trickle of cold sweat was descending down his forehead, and he could feel his legs turning into Moldsmals. Perhaps... perhaps they could wait a little longer. Maybe they could discuss that after the trip to the market, when Toriel would feel more disposed, and...

* _Are you that eager to prove me right ?_

Lincoln's eyes widened a little, closed... then reopened with acceptance and conviction. The voice was right. Backing down was simply not an option. If having to leave Toriel was the price to reach freedom and their loved ones... then so be it.

"Um, actually, we wanted to ask you something else. It's uh, kind of important."

Toriel looked a tad confused by the boy's request, but she still grinned back, not seeing the harm in it. "Oh, do ask children. Is it about the book I'm reading ? It's quite the fascinating read, even if perhaps more for me than for you. Can you believe how many uses there are for-"

"When can we go home ?" said Lincoln in one breath.

And just like that, everything froze. It was as if a gentle and soothing music had suddenly stopped, taking the entire warm and fuzzy atmosphere with it. The only thing that could be heard now was the crackling of the fire, but even it seemed to have quiet down.

That change of ambience in the house was all linked to its owner. Her smile was still there, but her eyes barely held calm and kindness now. Instead, the siblings could only find panic and a strange sorrow. The woman began to shake a little, and her voice, while still soft, showed cracks that were shaking the kids' hearts to their core.

"But, children. What... ever are you talking about ? T-This IS your home now. I-I... I thought you understood that."

The Louds winced **hard** at this. That reaction was pretty much what they had expected to hear, and really wished they hadn't. Nontheless, Luna decided to keep the flow going. "Look love, it ain't that you're a bad host, or that we don't like it here, but we gotta get on the road, to go back to our own little home." she shyly said, using all of her inner will to keep her eyes focused into Toriel's almost pleading ones.

"That is... correct, Goat Mother." acknowledged Lisa with a clear strain in her usually still and neutral voice. Few times had the little genius genuinely showed that she was sad, but each time hit close to home, and this time was no exception. "New factors have entered the equation, or rather we were reminded of old ones. That is why he have to-"

"Um, how about taking a peek at my new book before that ?" cut in Toriel hurriedly. "It's called ' _72 Uses for Snails_ ', and it's got many interesting facts about them. Would you like to hear some ?"

Had Toriel asked this question yersteday, the kids would have jumped right on board, eagerly circling Toriel to find out about those either whacky or insightful facts, and having many laughs about it. But now, naught excitement was found on their faces, only pity and sadness at what their guardian was obviously trying to pull.

"Goat Mom, we don't really..." began Leni.

"Did you know that snails can flip their digestive systems as they mature ?"

"Goat Mom, c'mon..." squeaked Lana, her eyes watering at the sorry scene before her.

"And, um, did you know that snails' shells were once used for marble games, or even boules ? I-I certainly hope that they didn't get _shell shocked_ over this, right ?"

"Please, Goat Mom..." sniffled Luan, the will to laugh at the pun completely drowned in the pity inspired by the overwhelming feeling of sorrow she could feel coming of this sad clown act. Sad-sounding puns were simply... simply... she just didn't have any joke for it.

"Oh, and what about this one ? Apparently, snails were a currency-"

"TORIEL, DROP THIS ACT NOW, AND JUST LISTEN TO US !" finally exploded Lori, fists shaking with anger and eyes shut tight. It got Toriel to stop, as she tightened her lips and silently kept looking at her book, her eyes unmoving as she kept reading the same sentence over and over.

Lori just couldn't take it anymore. Toriel, the person who had taught her so much about being a good figure in so little time, who would keep her calm and serenity in all circumstances, no matter the dispute or the conflict, who beamed with kindness and understanding at every waking moment. To see her just **crumble** like that, it was just too much for the teen to handle. She just hated to see that worry in her eyes, that sudden panic replacing her collected speech, that way of running away from the issue at hand, just to avoid unpleasant consequences.

 _Lori could see_ herself _in Toriel right now, and she loathed every second of it._

But Lori knew that she couldn't keep venting her frustration like that. She needed to be comprehensive, but firm. Just like Toriel had taught her to act. Plus, if Toriel was to begin to cry, no doubt that she would be melting into tears right after her. So she took a deep breath, and took her stand.

"Look, we are thankful for everything you've done for us until now. Saving us from Crazy Weed, showing us how to deal with assaulting monsters, taking us in, all that. Those few days spent with you were amazing, and we'll never forget them. **But.** " Her voice grew in firmness, and her eyes locked on Toriel's pitiful form. "We had a wake-up call this morning, and we realized the truth we should've known, and the one I'm certain you know as well. We _don't_ belong here. Our place is up there, with our family and friends, under the sun we've been seeing and feeling since our birth. **We must go home.** It's sad, I know. I too would've loved a little more time here, but we just can't keep vegetating, not now that this feeling of something missing is in our hearts. So now, I am _litteraly_ going to ask you something, and you're _litteraly_ going to answer us truthfully : Is there a way to exit the Ruins, where is it, where can we find the place that'll take us back to the Surface, and can you take us there ?"

Toriel's head bowed a little more, hiding her eyes behind her book. In her mind, she couldn't help but chuckle humourlessly as three words echoed inside, again and again. _Must go home_. Six times she had heard those three words, and every time it meant the same thing. _Never seeing them again, and only hearing about them through the announcement of their death._

But amongst those who had passed through her home, none had managed to stimulate or fill her day with more wonder than those eleven young ones had done. To think that they were demanding that she'd allow them to meet the same fate than the others. To think of the consequences, of the moment **HE** would get his filthy hands on them, and what would ultimately result of it.

Letting a child go had been painful, and every time she heard of their demise was like hammering a rusty nail into her already worn and bleeding heart of a mother. None had hurt less than the last one. Here though, she was tasked to let _eleven_ of them go. Eleven youths filled with glee, always eager to learn more, and ready at any time to tackle on what the world could throw at them.

She just couldn't let them exit the Ruins, she couldn't let them wander in this place where everyone would be out to get their SOUL for such a foolish and unbearable plan. She couldn't, she couldn't, she...

An empowering feeling of determination flooded her very SOUL.

 **She wouldn't.**

The Louds' feet all left the floor for a short moment when Toriel quickly and noisely closed her book shut. A thin veil of obscurity was once again hiding her eyes as she got up, put the book on her chair, and gave the children with a quiet but firm order.

"There is something I must attend to right now. Remain here until I come back."

And just like that, she was gone, having zoomed past the Louds without any warm grin, pat on the head, or little good-bye kiss. This fact alone came as shocking to them, but it also filled them with dread for some reason.

"Am I the only one who thinks that maybe we should be following her ?" said Lynn a tad nervously.

"Can't believe I'm saying that, but yeah, I'm not really trusting that order she gave us." admitted Lola, feeling deeply hurt by the lack of compassion in Toriel's last action, that only added to the fact that they were saying good-bye to her, and how bad she was taking it.

"Goa' Mama..." whined Lily with a sniffle, shuffling her head into Leni's chest. The poor little one wasn't liking this anymore than her big brother and sisters, as even she could clearly understand that comforting hugs would not be enough this time around. In that regard, the toddler felt lost and useless, and that just made her sad. Which was not happy. And that was just wrong.

"Down the stairs." suddenly quipped Lucy. "The one place that she told us not to go to, the ultimate enigma of this house that is hers. It must be where she's heading right now."

Lori nodded gravely. Whatever Toriel had in mind, she had a very potent hunch that they would heavily regret its execution. "Then that's where we're heading." she said, hitting her palm with her fist. "To the-"

"To the basement !" bellowed Luna, beating Lori to the punch and leaving her to grind her teeth in heavy frustration. Nontheless, all the siblings approved, and were off to the hall. Once in it however, Lincoln felt the need to halt the march.

"Wait guys, I think I should go to the Save point first !" called the boy, rising complaints and grumbles out of his sisters.

"We're in a bit of a hurry in case you haven't noticed, Lincoln !" chatised Lola. "And didn't you already go this morning ?"

"C'mon, it's just in case ! You can never save too often, even if we still don't know what it means here." argued Lincoln.

Lori rolled her eyes at her brother's nerdy logic, but knew things would move faster if she just let it be. "Alright, just make it snappy." she said while doing a little 'shoo-shoo' motion with her hand. As Lincoln zoomed off to the yellow star, Lori felt the need to check the time on her phone. "Wow, 10:59. This is way too early to deal with that sort of problems."

"I don't think there's really any adequate time to deal with this issue." said Lisa blankly.

"Well, we can't exactly delay it anymore, or else we'll be _clock_ ing like scaredy chickens, hahahaha !" joked Luan, trying to lift off the mood a little. And despite the groans, her sisters did smile a little in the end.

Meanwhile, Lincoln attained his destination, and pressed his hand against the floating yellow gleam. The voice in his head naturally began to speak, but over its usual omniousness and neutrality, Lincoln could feel something else attached to it, two things actually. A smidge of sadness, and a bit of pride.

* _Knowing that despite picking the hard choice, you also chose the right one... It feels you with_ ** _Determination._**

For the first time since this morning, a smile that actually held confidence found its way onto Lincoln's face. The first step had been made, now he just needed to take on the rocky path. With this in mind, Lincoln pressed the Save button-

 _ **LOUDS – Ruins Home**_

 _ **LV1 – 165:42**_

 _ **File saved successfully !**_

-and returned to his sisters to follow them to the darkest and most mysterious place of this house.

 _ **The Basement !**_

* * *

Soon enough, the beige steps made room for the long and dusty purple hallway that was the basement. In contrast to the last one the siblings had seen, barely any light, be it natural or magic, could be found in it. The narrow walls weren't doing the room any favour, as the pounding of the many pairs of feet strongly echoed, and a soft but cryptic gale of wind kept slithering through the room and against their faces.

The only Loud who didn't feel intimidated by this creepy scenery was who you'd expect. The raven-haired girl only felt disappointement in not having found this amazing dark and pressuring spot for her most recent writing sessions.

But the large amounts of dust in the wall ceased to take the kids' focus the moment they saw Toriel standing there, her back facing them. As they slowly approached her, Lola tried to reestablish communication.

"Goat Mom ? Are you upset ?" she asked, barely louder than a whisper. Volume was then added to her voice as an idea came back to her. "You know, i-if you want to, you can always come with us, we won't mind."

"Yeah, we can get you a brand new house on the mountain, even better than the original. And with one heck of a view !" proposed the other little blonde with a half-excited grin. "O-Or ! You can come live with us in Royal Woods ! We can clean the shed in the back of our garden, have some renovations, extend it, and make it as cozy as here, maybe even more ! W-Whaddya say ?!"

However, their enthusiast was only met by a silence of death at first, only increasing the children's apprehension. But about fifteen seconds of more sound of an echoing wind coming down a hallway, finally Toriel replied.

"So, you desperately wish to leave this place, to go home. Do you not ?" she began, with a distinct hollowness and lack of tenderness that made most of the Louds' palms sweat with uneasiness. She kept going, unperturbed. "There is only one way to exit the Ruins, and it stands ahead of us. By passing this door, one can access the rest of the Underground, and see all that inhabit and lead it."

A look of hope brightened on the Louds' faces. "Really, it's just down that hall ? That's awesome !" exclaimed Lincoln, showing his eagerness right alongside his sisters' cheers.

"Oh man, I wonder if we're gonna meet a big squid on the way !" said Lynn, feeling hella pumped up again.

This made Luna raise an eyebrow. "What is it with you and big squids ? Did you like that 'Juliette Verne' book Lisa lended you so much ?" A sly smile then invaded her face, and she nudged her little sis. "Or maybe someone went a bit deep in the Internet, am I right dudette ?"

"S-Shut up !" rebuked Lynn with a blush, that had actually nothing to do with squids and their limbs, but did involve some research on the Internet. What could you say ? All kinds of weirdos could be found in there. Writers were the worst though...

"Goat Mom, like thank you so much !" chirped Leni, relieved that the conflict was over. "I swear that on the way, I'll try to knit you the cutest sweater, and I swear it'll have only two sleeves this time. And then I'll make matching ones for everybody, so we can-"

"I'm going to destroy it."

All sound of happiness suddenly stopped, Toriel's single sentence tearing into the children's excitement like a saw full of dread. All that the now big-eyed Leni could utter was a meek, "Whu, what ?"

"I'm going to destroy this cursed exit. Nobody will EVER be able to leave again." said Toriel roughly. "Now be good children, and go back upstairs." She then proceeded further down the hall.

"Toriel, wait !" called Lori, but to no avail. Her arm flopped back to her side, and she adressed a lost look to the ground as the rising feeling of dread that had been quelling inside her heart was now coming back at full force.

"Why is this happening ? I-I cannot comprehend..." whimpered Lisa, her sadness too overwhelming for her to realize how bruised her ego was to admit such a thing.

"I don't believe it. Has she been lying to us all this time ? Does she only wants to keep us as her little pets ?" hissed Lynn as a couple of angry tears came down her freckled cheeks, but stopped when Luan litteraly shook her out of it.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, there's _goat_ to be another explanation." she stated, not even noticing the accidental pun she had just made.

Lincoln nodded, "She's right. No time to waste people, follow that lady !"

The pack of children hurriedly did so, despite the storm of emotions that was raging in their minds. They quickly found Toriel, who was once again seemingly waiting for them, while still not looking in their direction.

"Goat Mom, we have to talk !" demanded Luna with a serious tone.

"It's a foul path you are thinking of taking, Goat Mother. One that even I would not dare walking upon." ranted Lucy with a touch of urgency in her flat voice.

"Why are you even doing this ?! Did we do something wrong ?!" sniffled Leni with big sad puppy eyes.

Toriel bowed her head a little, and unknowingly to them, her facial features tightened with sorrow, as her voice grew cold. "I am doing this to protect you. To do what I should have done when the others asked me the same question."

Lincoln emmited a short gasp. "Wait, the others ? You don't mean..."

"You didn't think that you were the first ones, did you ?" said Toriel, closing her eyes as painful memories resurfaced. "Every time a human falls down and I take them in, it's the same old song. They come. They stay. They leave." Her voice's temperature dropped lower than an icy tundra as she pronounced those two last bone-chilling words. " _ **They die.**_ "

"D-Die ?" squeaked Lana, not feeling so good by this blunt statement she was praying was just part of one big joke. But Toriel only got somberer from that point.

"You think that the monsters outside of those Ruins will be as easily swayed than the ones you've encountered here ? _Ha._ This naivety will only get you hurt, I'm afraid." she sneered, trying to ignore the whimpers of the most sensible ones. "The world outside is not fit for you children, as it is one where they... **ASGORE**... will kill you without the slightest of hesitations."

The amount of venom and resentment in the way she had said that name made the Louds recoil with fear in their hearts. Who could be so despicable that they could make sweet Goat Mom hate them with such a passion ?

"It is safer to stay here, with me. Do you understand ?"

"Then come with us !" loudly attempted Lola. "If you wanna protect us so bad, then come along ! With your super fire magic and your death glares, the monsters will leave us alo-"

" **No.** " firmly cut in Toriel, sending the sad princess back to the crowd. "I cannot go back to this place, never. Now once again, I'm telling you, _go to your room, all of you._ "

Toriel walked away again, leaving the Louds to debate over this new information.

"Man, just, what's her problem ?!" said Lynn, feeling more frustrated by the second.

"She's just scared." realised Lincoln, having the most clues about this story but not by much. "She doesn't want us to die like the others did. She thinks that as soon as we walk beyond that door, the next time she'll hear of us will be in the Minor news column of the next Underground Gazette, right under " _Let's cook some_ mean _brussel sprouts with Chief V. Getoid._ ""

"Really ? You think now's the time for a joke ?" drawled Lori with a deadpan tone.

"If we're going into that kind of bad stuff, better to have a little smile there to help you keep yourself on both of your legs unless you want them to be _chicken's legs_." winked Lincoln, high-fiving his giggling comedian of a big sister.

A bit of amusement appeared on the other siblings' faces, and despite the seriousness still being unavoidable here, this pinch of humour helped their ideas become more clear.

"So basically, that means that the other humans * _gulp*_ died at the hands of monsters. But... why ?" mumbled Lana, cupping a hand under her chin while the other one traced along a dusty brick for her to see if it tasted different. Strangely enough, she discovered a tangerine flavour.

"Revenge could be it." crowed Lucy, standing still as ever. "Against the war that they've lost, or the companion that they wounded. This may be a story that can only end in the blood of the traitors, and where the winner takes it all." She saw her siblings taking a very apprehensive step back, and bowed her head. "Sorry. It's been a rough hour so far."

"Tell me about it." sighed Luna, shaking her head. This performance had worse vibes than SMOOCH at San Diego '06, with Eric Yeller throwing up all over his drums and Gene Salmon's bass guitar suddenly blowing up for no reason. "There's gotta be a way to make her change her mind. We need to prove that that whole _dying_ shabang ain't going to be for us."

"Well, there is a major and thoroughly obvious difference between us and our predecessors that we can present to our aloof guardian." revealed Lisa, her brain clicking right.

"Ah ?" said Lily while tilting her little head.

"The very reason why hotel and restaurant receptionists wear faces that resemble Edvard Munch's masterpiece every time we enter their establishement, dear younger parent of mine. **Numbers.** "

Lincoln rubbed his chin with fervour, and his face lit up like candles on a birthday cake. "Of course, no child before us fell with someone, and had to go alone, while we form a complete team of experts together. That's gotta convince Goat Mom to let us pass !"

"Well, numbers are always a good strategy to bash down doors." chuckled Lynn, remembering how her and her football team had to do so on the previous winter when the doors had frozen down to the ground. They had sure understood how to use their heads, or at least how to use Margo's.

"Sure would be nice if _she_ could come too. Her fur's so soft, so why does she have to be so hard-headed ?" mumbled Lana, kicking an imaginary pebble off the ground.

Lori stood tall, the fact that she had made her choice all too clear in her eyes. "Whatever Toriel decides for herself about staying or not, that's entirely up to her." quipped Lori, her voice tighter than her clenched fists. "But she cannot force the same thing onto us. We are free to do whatever we want, such as going back home. And if she wants to play difficult, then we'll just have to _remove her from our path_."

"Wow, time out Lori, that was hecka creepy !" pointed out Luan, not being the only one to not quite like the unconcious amount of threat put in their eldest sister's last words.

Lori found herself blushing a little, and shook her head. "Gah, you know I don't mean it like that ! I'm just saying that Toriel has no right to keep us here against our will, and that we'll pass even if she doesn't wanna come or let us through. I don't... like it anymore than any of you do, but that's our only set of options here. So let's just go already, who knows what she could be doing to the door right now !"

With that said, the Louds hurried further down the corridor, letting nothing distract them. Apart maybe for one little Lily, who despite being bounced in Leni's arms, managed to notice a dim **cyan** glow escaping Lori's left short pocket...

* * *

As the corridor suddenly took a turn left, the Louds found Toriel near its corner, still not willing to look at them. "Go to your room this instant. This will be your last warning." ordered Toriel even more sternly, hoping that third time would be the charm.

But this time, as she moved forward, all the Louds did was to share nods, before tailing her, not an ounce of hesitation in their step.

After advancing a bit more, they reached the hallway's end. The walls widened at last, creating a small room for the siblings to enter. Opposite to them was Toriel, standing before a large purple door that looked quite heavy. Engraved on both panels of the door was a black version of the symbol on Toriel's robes, a symbol that, now that the kids thought about it, had been seen a lot in both the city of Home and the monsters' history books, but without any clear indication of what it meant.

On Toriel's side, the woman's smidge of hope vanished, but nothing she didn't predict. Of course they would follow her to the end. Who wanted to listen to her anyway ? _They_ didn't. _**He** didn't._ Still, she decided to give it one last shot.

"The path behind you is not yet closed, children. Please, do what's right, what has to be."

"And that's what we're going to do." said Lincoln, once again taking the spotlight. "Goat Mom, Toriel, we get that you're afraid for us. But things are different this time around. All the humans that passed through here, they all travelled through the Underground alone, only relying on their own single skills. But we're not like that, we have all the skills you could imagine. We've got smarts for the most cryptic of enigmas." Lisa tweaked her glasses with a small grin. "We've got muscles to make the meanest of monsters back away, or to prove them our strength and will." Lynn cracked her knuckles, and Lana turned the peak of her cap around. "We've got wisdom and insight, to get to understand the most misunderstood." Lucy nodded, and Luna flashed a thumbs up. "We've got the way of the deal and the talking, to reach the most advantageous agreement for both parties." Lola placed her arms on her hips with an eerie grin, and Lori crossed her arms, staying completely neutral. "And most importantly, we've got plenty of good spirit !" Luan winked and pressed a finger against her cheek, Leni flashed all of her pearly whites, and Lily clapped her little hands. "So what I'm saying here, what **we** are saying, is that you've got nothing to fear. Team Loud has never let any obstacle stop them before, and with all that you've taught us, we won't be this time either."

Lincoln Loud took a breath, glad to have delivered that speech, and could only hope it would work as planned. The sisters shared both his hope and apprehension for what would be their possibly-soon-to-be ex-guardian.

After a handful of seconds that felt like an eternity, Toriel softly carressed the closed door, and she adressed the children with grim empathy. "You know, I truly thought that you'd all be different, that you would mind danger and pick the better of choices. I see that once again, I was very wrong."

"W-Way harsh Tori..." winced Luna with a hand on her chest.

"So... you say that I have nothing to fear ? Very well then." Toriel's hands fell on her sides, and her form stood a little straighter. She drew a shuddering breath, and released it in two words. "Prove it."

"Huh ?" said Lynn, blinking in confusion.

"Prove me that there are no fears for me to have." Toriel pressed on. She finally turned to look at the siblings, giving them a cold yet heated glare. "Prove to me that you truly have what it takes to survive out there."

"Goat Mom ?" asked Leni fearfully, her slight trembling intensifying when two blazing flames appeared in both of Toriel's hands, reflecting against her crimson eyes.

More flames appeared and danced majestically around the monster, taking place all over the room and forcing the Louds back to back. Some of the embers agglutinated themselves on the door behind Toriel, building a wall of flames and making the symbol on it shine with a mysterious power. The air that had been cool and slightly humid was now becoming arid and suffocatingly hot, only adding to the pressure of the room. But it was only when their SOULs jumped out of their chests that the children, in horror, realized what she truly had in mind. And as to sign it, Toriel spoke one last sentence, her voice booming with a certain regality.

" **Prove to me that you won't die !** "

 **Critical Battle Engaged !**

{ _Undertale – Heartache, either OST or Orchestral_ }

* _"Toriel blocks the way."_

' _No... No, no no no no no, it wasn't supposed to be like this !_ ' whimpered Lincoln internally as he saw the four option boxes rise. He couldn't believe it. What was supposed to be a hard and tearful good-bye, had transformed into something much worse. Toriel, a Guardian that had shown nothing but love and compassion, had now dragged them into a Fight, which meant that she had the power to...

But she couldn't, she wouldn't, she... why would she ? What did they do wrong ? What did he do wrong ?

"Wow Lincoln, what a great job you've done here." Lori sneered with heavy sarcasm, not able to contain this sick feeling of glee over her brother failing as the 'leader', a position he'd been hogging from her for far too long. A little content smirk even appeared on her face despite how heatedly grim the situation looked like for all humans present. Inside, she knew how wrong that was to take pleasure in seeing one of her younger siblings fail, but there was simply something sweet into seeing Lincoln getting knocked off his little pedestal.

However, she was promptly scolded by her fellow sisters coming by their only brother's side, who was tearing up and shrinking on himself due to the weight of his own guilt. "What the hey Lori ?! This was uncalled for, in every way possible !" blurted Luna with a frown as she passed her arms around Lincoln to hug him, trying to ignore the odd tune she could swear was echoing around the walls plastered with flames.

"Yeah, just because I was that mean to you six days ago, doesn't mean you can return the favour !" growled Lynn while pointing an accusing finger in Lori's direction and patting her brother's back.

"Spitting such inconsiderate venom in a moment as dire as this present one. The shame only doubles when I believed that I wouldn't hear that from you anymore." spat Lucy, her voice laced with enough wrath to be clearly noticed as she brushed her brother's hair in a way similar to the way he would do it for her. Her brother being mocked for a good action reminded her too much of the Clogged Toilet-Pony Princess Book incident, and that was enough to make her blood boil.

"Bad timing, and hitting someone while they're on the ground. Seriously Lori, there are limits even I wouldn't dare to cross !" bellowed Lola, not quite as furious as she hoped to be due to her floating blue SOUL's reminder of the horrible situation they were into. Still she , alongside her twin, hugged her brother's legs.

Lori stayed silent to the accusations thrown at her, and simply looked away with a scowl. Her pride wouldn't let her admit her fault, but she knew all too well that they were right. She could hear Lincoln drying up his tears, and saying, "It's okay girls, j-just the stress of everything that is going and falling apart so quickly. But we can't let that undermine us just yet, we've got to set things right, and end this meaningless battle. So once again, let's show what the Louds are made of !"

The girls of course cheered for him, which only made Lori more envious and yet more mad about herself. A certain dimness in her own little floating heart could only remind her how bad she was acting and feeling all over. Eventually, she felt a small but familiar tug at her brown shorts. She looked down to see Lily, looking right back up at her with concern. She quickly replaced it with a happy, almost encouraging smile, and mimed to be picked up. Lori hesitated for a moment, but knew that she could not dare to inflict any of her spite on the little ball of innocence that was Lily. So she complied with the toddler's demand, and received a hug that she felt she did not deserve, but simply enjoyed it for the time being.

Because as she opened her eyes, she silently came back with her siblings to face their present enemy, who was gazing through them with a mask of sternness and flames blazing around her paws. Imposing wasn't doing any justice to Toriel right now, as not even her first appearance in the shadows could top how menacing she was looking right now. But despite the context, this was still a Fight, and the siblings had been getting into enough of them to know what to begin with.

"Lincoln, I believe that you and your dual sounding narrating abilities have the floor to be the opening acton of this... fight of ours." said Lisa with a sigh so heavy, she almost recorded it for future references, perhaps for her next tutorings about the functions of the human throat.

Lincoln nodded, and pressed the _Check_ option. But as he opened his mouth, the informations first filtered through his brain, and his throat immediately went dry with his eyes widening in shock. He stood there for a good ten seconds until his sisters, unnerved to see him this unresponsive, brought him back to reality with the use of Luna's fingers snapping before his face.

"Bro, what's the haps ? What did it tell ya ?" asked the music lover.

Lincoln swallowed the lump in his throat, and after a bit of struggling, managed the words out, the voice once again assisting him.

* _"TORIEL. ATK... 80. DEF... 80. Fire magic Expert, but you already knew that. Thinks she knows what's best for you..."_

The Louds' jaws pratically fell to the ground hearing Toriel's battle resume. They knew Toriel was powerful and skilled, and they knew she was heck of strong too. But what they were told here was that they were facing someone **8 TIMES** more powerful than Napstablook, dozen of times more experienced, and thousands of times more passionate.

But Luan, true to herself, tried to keep her smile going for the sake of her siblings, even if its radiance was all but gone. "Come on guys, it's Toriel, there's no way she'll attack us. There'll probably be some text, or some harmful little warning. She wouldn't-"

* _FROOSH !*_

 _*Clac-clac-clac-clac*_

Luan's voice vanished once she saw Toriel moving her left hand to their left, and made a huge magic reconstruction of her own hand. Then she slowly whipped her arm sideways before her, moving the hand, and making small flames appear in its trail. She then made the hand disappear, and shot her arm in front of her, sending an order to the flames to become fireballs, and whisked them towards the kids, locking onto the rainbow of SOULS they possessed.

Said kids quickly shook their initial shock, and disbanded to avoid getting hit. But the lack of room plus Toriel's impressive skills meant that many of Toriel's shots hit a target. Many pained cries resonated across the room, with seven of them crashing on the ground, only leaving Lori, Lynn, Lola, and Lily to be standing, watching their siblings with horror written on their faces. This horror was quickly shared by the ones picking themselves off the ground, as they had learned two things from this attack.

The good thing was that Toriel had only taken away 3 _HP_ from each of them, which meant her overwhelming attack was not an instantly lethal threat. The bad thing... _was that Toriel had attacked them. And hurt them._ And the most terrible thing in that ?

 **She meant to do it.**

Toriel's face still sported this mask of cold indifference, looking completely unmoved by the sorrow and fear in the children's eyes. She perfectly knew that their vision on this world had been rocked to the core, but those were consequences they needed to learn. Or else, the guilt of not doing so to those she had already allowed out of the Ruins, a guilt that was still eating her up to this very day, would only increase to more unbearable levels. Her resolution stood strong, this was a necessary evil for her to accomplish for them to see the evil that resided beyond those doors.

But for the Louds, who didn't know any of that, the feeling of betrayal was worst than anything they had ever felt before. Poor Leni almost threw up because of how bad everything felt at the moment, as big fat tears appeared in her eyes. Luan's smile was gone, only leaving grim realization over her features. Lynn's breath was ragged and full of anger, but her memories of the fun times spent with Toriel blocked any scream from escaping her lungs. Lana and Lola trembled in eachother's arms, reminding them when their fourth birthday, when they had stuck themselves on a tight rope while going to the Circus and escaping their parents' watch. The share feeling of helplessness when dangling hundreds of feet from the ground came back to them at full force.

All in all, Lincoln's initial fright over Toriel's attack level had been spot on, just not in the way he had imagined it to be. Its physical effects were not so different than the monsters', and nothing compared to Flowey's pellets, but the emotional effects more than made up for it.

* _"Toriel readies her next attack."_

"She is really gonna get through with this, isn't she ?" murmured Lucy as she hugged herself, unable to stay impassible through this trial.

"I wish I could tell you yes, you have no idea how much I want to..." breathed Luna, patting the little goth's back as she dried her own tears.

As she brushed Lily's head to make her tears and hiccuping stop, Lori took a moment to contemplate the situation. This battle was already much bigger than the others, but... it was still a battle. She looked over to the choice buttons coming back, and knew what she and her siblings needed to do. But as she saw Lincoln's look slowly evolving out of its sad state, she bit her tongue and decided to stay silent. What was the use ? He would cut in and steal the show, as usual.

Indeed, Lincoln was using those last words spoken by the voice, who were surprisingly lacking the smidge of emotion it usually had, to fuel the fire of his Determination. THIS was clearly some sort of Boss Fight, and it meant that mechanics they'd learned before had to be the solution to win this fight. So if Toriel was readying another attack, then they needed to be ready to fire their own counterattack, **Conversation !**

He turned to his sisters, and immediately grabbed their attention. "Okay, I know this looks kinda bad, but we've done this before. It's just another battle, only with bigger stakes and importance, but it's not one that we cannot win. We swore to keep going when we first arrived, and we're still all there. We've got all the tools for success, so let's get this Operation ' _Rise From the Underground_ ' back on track !" he hollered, his voice dripping with conviction.

Upon hearing this, light returned to the siblings' eyes. Their team was still assembled, and it wasn't Toriel who had pacified all those monsters before. The rules were not of their liking here, but they'd follow them once again if it meant going home and putting an end to Toriel's nonsense. They quickly formed a circle, and rallied their hands in the middle.

"Loud to the very end !" yelled Lincoln.

"LOUD TO THE VERY END !" chanted his sisters in unison as the hands flew up in the ceiling's direction. Now feeling remotivated, they all faced Toriel once again, and looked at their trusty ACT button, ready to unleash speeches of all kinds in hope to get their furry friend to see reason.

Lincoln decided to commence hostilities, or rather pacifying, and chose the only other option appearing, _Talk_. But when he tried thinking of something to say, nothing good really came to him. So, he decided to be simple and honest about it. "Goat Mom, can you _please_ let us pass ? We don't need to fight about it."

"If it'll make you understand, then I believe it is." replied Toriel with a voice so cold, it made a shiver go down Lincoln's spine. Her attack was the same than before, allowing for less Louds to be hit by the magic fireballs.

* _"Ironically, talking had no effect on Toriel."_

Leni decided to take the next turn with a more polite demand. Being more kind might get Toriel back to her caring nature, thought the platinium blonde as she pressed the _Gentle Demand_ option. "Goat Mom, we are very sorry to do this, honest. But, like, can you please let us pass, pretty please ? We won't forget you, e-even me. Please..." she pleaded with puppy eyes and her hands clasped together, her voice cracking a bit at the end.

"You are kind, my child. And that is why I can't let you go further." said Toriel coolly, her eyes, usually so soft, piercing through Leni's retreating ones.

Toriel's next attack still was flame-based, but this time only consisted of two serpentine-shaped trails of them, with a gap between each flame, and the two twisted lines crisscrossing eachother in a strange rhythm. The number of flames proved intimidating to the Louds, and managed to nip each of them in the bud, save for Lily. This time, four _HP_ were taken away from them, and the burn marks were becoming more apparent over their bodies.

* _"You use Puppy eyes. Toriel is apparently not fond of puppies."_

Lola shook the pain off and reached the ACT button, choosing her own option, _Bargain_. "Look, maybe we don't have to do it now _now_. Um, how's about we stay o-one more night, and then you let us go ? A-And I'll throw in some evening games, and a story at night for you to count. H-How does that sound ?" she proposed with a big tight smile.

"Today or tomorrow, the danger will still be there. You must quit fooling yourself, my child." spoke the spellcaster, furrowing her brow. She let loose another 'Sweeping Paw' attack, with again limited results, but results nontheless, one of them being the princess herself, who sniffled and whispered in a meek voice.

"But I really wanted to hear another story from you..."

* _"Toriel's present policy : No buts, except yours back in your rooms."_

"How can you keep cracking up comments like that in such a battle ?!" Lincoln yelled, seemingly angry to himself. The voice appeared to have not heard the comment, or at least pretended to.

Levity was what Luan thought would be a way to calm the rising _heated_ tension of this room. Thus, she massaged her cheeks to get the best smile possible, and pressed her ACT option, _Joke_. "Wow, despite giving the _cold_ shoulder, you're certainly _on fire_ , hahaha ! You've got _ash_ urance, but no need to be _coal_ d about it ! C'mon, how's about we _cool_ things down, and give this whole debate a _fresh_ start ? Eh ?" she finished with a big wink. But after a few very quiet seconds, Luan's smile greatly wavered. "C'mon, not even a little bleating chuckle ?"

"While your humour is on point, I will not back down for this little routine. The _burning_ passion in my heart will not allow it." answered Toriel vividly, sending another Serpentine Wave of flames. One of them smacked into Luan's knee, forcing her on one knee. As she rubbed the bruise, the commedian gave a sad laugh, sounding like a broken record.

"Heh, * _sniff_ *, good one..."

* _"Love hurts, and that's no joke..."_

Lucy scratched the mark on her arm in deep thought. Perhaps words were lacking for the whole message to get through the great literary person that Toriel was. With this idea in mind, Lucy chose her ACT option, _Poetry_. "This path you are taking, don't you see ? It makes you shine with the wicked light of tyranny. Do not answer us with a fight and stoop so low. Your heart and Soul of a mother, you must follow."

"..." was Toriel's reply. Or rather lack of reply, as if she hadn't heard the pale-skinned child at all. She instead delivered another row of Fire Serpentines, leaving Lucy to barely take one in the face from the shock of Toriel's indifference over her. As if she hadn't heard them, as if Lucy's words had never existed in the first place, as if it would not matter if she was there at all.

"D-Did you not hear me ?" meekly asked Lucy, almost pleadingly.

"I heard you quite right my child, but unfortunately for your words, it is because of this motherly heart that I cannot let you continue your foolish quest. Now hear _my_ words : Either prove that you are strong enough to survive, or go back to your rooms !" she bellowed, effectively sending Lucy back in the shadows. And though she was relieved to still exist in Toriel's eyes, she couldn't block the couple of black tears falling down her eyes.

* _"Alas, Toriel still acts aloof."_

Seeing her roommate in this sorry state, as well as looking over her hurt siblings, only reinforced Lynn's belief into how bogus this all was. But... despite everything, she decided to keep playing by the rules, by reminding Toriel her own ones. The teen thus punched her own choice of ACTion, _Tough Talk_. "You know, what you're saying and doing right now doesn't add up at all, either before this fight or right now ! You can't pretend you want to protect us, and then throw fireballs at us ! You can't tell us to avoid fighting, and then ask us to do so if we wanna continue ! This whole thing is malarky, and nothing more !"

"You are free to believe that, but I _know_ that it is what must be done. And you're wrong, I am using my strength to protect you." said Toriel with unwavering conviction both in her voice and features.

Her next attack resembled the twin flame trails, but proved a little different. Instead of many flames with gaps, the two wavering lines were blasts of fire, and acted like pillars and jumping ropes for the children to dodge. Lynn used her parkour and dodgeball experience to get around all of them, but her siblings weren't so lucky, resulting in even more health to be lost. Lynn heavily punched the ground in frustration.

* _"Your message doesn't seemed to have gone through Toriel."_

"Oka, break time, we need some health back." pointed out Lincoln, lookig at his own health bar that had now more red than yellow, as did the ones of some of his sisters. Not only that, but a feeling of dryness that neared heatstroke was beginning to assault their minds, and they'd need every bit of ingeniosity they could get.

As such, for the first time, the ITEM choice box was selected, and all of the siblings got to choose their _Spider Donut Bit._ Lily, who hadn't received any damage, gave hers to her eldest sister, who had taken quite a few hits in her place.

* _"You eat a Spider Donut bit. You regain 4 HP per piece gobbled._

"It's not as sweet as Toriel's pie." tearfully remarked Leni, who didn't give a damn about her hair looking like a bush that hadn't seen a hedge trimmer for a long time, or about the burn marks all over her favourite dress.

"And I'm about to give her a little speech that unfortunately, musn't hold any of it." frowned Lisa, as she sidestepped away from a flame shot by Toriel's Sweeping Paw attack. The little pressed her ACT option, _Logic_ , and cleared her throat. "Toriel, your inconsederation for logical thought hurts me to my very core. Not just because you are clearly letting your past grief and motherly protectiveness win you over, but also because of how different from you this all is, to let your emotions get the better of you. End this unlogical behaviour this instant, and wake up to see the facts !" reprimanded the small genius with a harsh stare. But its effects quickly toned down when Toriel's own glare got even harsher.

"Your own inexperience is the one speaking here. Do not act as if you can easily read my story through my eyes. You DO NOT know the facts, **child**." answered the woman with a tone so glacial, Lisa felt an honest pang of fear reverbate through her small being, making her trip over her feet. She had to roll over to dodge the powerful Streams of Fire at first, then Lincoln grabbed her by the sweater and helped her clear the rest of the assault.

Lana pressed her hands against the sides of her head, and hissed in frustrated despair. The little animal-lover just couldn't take anymore of this. None of this had even crossed her mind this morning, yet here they all were, fighting against their tender Goat Mom, who was hell bent on destroying their one chance to go back home. The situation was looking more and more bleak by the second, so Lana decided to let her heart talk, by choosing the _Pleading_ course of ACTion.

"Goat Mom, please ! I'm begging ya, stop all this ! T-This isn't you, this isn't the super cool mother that can make bath times and sweeping the floor fun, who makes awesome pies, a-a-and who doesn't care for how smelly I am, instead going on full tickle attack, and... a-and... I just want to stop fighting..."

Toriel hesitated to answer this time around. The tears of a child were torture to her long ears, but by looking at the little blonde and her vibrant orange SOUL, she was reminded of this small boy, just two years older than her, boasting that nothing could ever stop him. And foolish her, she believed those words. Knowing that she needed a little more tact here, Toriel took a deep breath, and answered with a soft but sad voice.

"Lana, my child, if you desire things to come back to what they were before, then you must take my advice, and leave this room. I will give you and your siblings all the care and love I can provide, maybe even more than before. But if you truly wish to return back to the surface, then I'm afraid you must carry on this battle to its end, and prove to me that you'll make it out okay."

"I-I don't like those rules, they're stupid. They don't make any sense..." sniffled Lana with a quivering lip and the eyes of a puppy that had just been kicked around.

"You are absolutely right, but those are the rules that even I must use to see if you have the potential to survive the rest of the Underground." sighed Toriel with a good deal of regret, but keeping her mask of sternness. She unleashed another of her Paw attacks, only hitting the poor crestfallen Lana, who thought that perhaps it would help her wake up from this nightmare.

* _"Your pleas were effective, but Toriel's problem seems to go deeper than you imagined..."_

Luna's turn came next, and there was a serious lack of sympathy in the rocker's mind and features, that had been getting worse as the battle had been progressing. If anything, her passive anger made her look a lot like Toriel at the moment. Lincoln's last narration made her brow crease, and she decided that it was time to play gardener, as her roommate would have put it. She tapped the ACT box, and chose _Interview_.

"G.M., I think it's time you stop leading us up the burning garden path." she began with dripping seriousness and not an ounce of laid-backness. "There's a truck-load of things you are not telling us. What's scaring ya so much behind this door ? Who's ASGORE ? Why do they want to kill us ? For that matter, why do most monsters we meet want to take our SOUL ?! Why aren't you giving us the whole story ? And don't pull on the 'You're too young' card, because we all know it's bogus ! You want us to back down ? How's about a friggin' good reason to do so, huh ?!"

The Louds were taken aback by Luna's rare bout of pure anger, even feeling a little afraid of her. Few things could get Luna to act like this, such as doing the error to call her... _um, maybe we should let it at that. I'm pretty sure that glare here is adressed to me, and I ain't taking any chances._

But Toriel still didn't falter, like a flame that wouldn't die out no matter what. "What you ask for, is simply too hard for me to remember. All that you need to know is how dangerous the world beyond those Ruins is, and that even if I let you go... your chances to reach the Surface are slim, perhaps even inexistant, especially if you refuse to fight."

Luna felt her confidence wavering, her voice losing its edge, and her knees becoming a bit weak. "Hold on, you can't mean ?.."

Toriel nodded solemnly. "You were all cursed to stay in the Underground the moment you fell down that hole. Either to safely stay with me, or to get your SOULs taken by any of the monsters, that all share the same goal."

"But what goal ?! Why are we so important ?!" insisted Luna, despair appearing in her shouts.

Toriel did not answer, and instead chose to throw in another Dual Fire Blast attack. With all of the attacks that had been thrown, the atmosphere of the room was now sweltering, and did not help the healing of the burn marks that were now all over the bodies of the children that could properly walk. Morale was not looking any better, as what had usually been a simple matter of 2 or 3 turns, now was a battle so long, it had the Louds wonder if there would even be an end to it, and if they'd even enjoy the outcome. They weren't appreciating the process one bit though, that was for sure.

The rise of temperature was also taking its toll on the only sister that hadn't put in her attempt. Lori's mind was nothing but a swirling vortex of negative emotions at the moment. She was cranky because of her lack of Boo-boo Bear, she was hurt both physically and mentally, she was sad both for and because of Toriel, and her sibling instincts were probably skyrocketing to the surface since Lily in her arms was now starting to cough because of how intense the heat had become. The kettle that was her mind at the moment had reached the stereotypical whistling point, and as such, some steam needed to get out before everything blew up.

"WHY ?!" boomed Lori, startling even Toriel. "Why are we still doing this ?! Why is this whole thing still going on ?! Everyone's right, what you're doing goes against EVERYTHING you told us ! All those things you've said to us, to ME ! Were those all lies ?! Did... _Do you even trust us ?!_ " Toriel stiffened at this, and Lori huffed a shaky breath to keep things from derailling. "Look, I get that you're worried. Six kids died before us, that's not nothing, it's a good reason to be cautious. But the way you're going about this is just like Luna said, _bogus_ ! You're clearly keeping things from us, you refuse to accompany us to make you feel better, and candle on top, you attack us without any restraint ! So if you want to salvage any part of this image you've been building up since we've met you, the one we want to believe in, just tell us WHY ! Why can't you let us go ?! **Why can't you let us be free ?!** "

Lori panted heavily afterwards, so much that she didn't notice some of her siblings looking at her with both apprehension and compassion. As for Toriel, her face drastically saddened, and bowed her head for the obscure veil to fall before her eyes again. The flames in the room even stopped moving, their heat and light decreasing.

{ _Music pauses, **Premonition** of Undertale OST plays out_ }

"Lori... let me ask you a question." spoke Toriel in an almost omnious voice, that made Lori hitch a breath. "Do you... love your siblings ? Would you do anything in your power to help them, to protect them ?"

Lori snorted, almost outraged by such a question. "What kind of a question is this ? Of course I'd do it ! I would litteraly never let anything happen to my siblings if it was in my power, and I wouldn't let them take any slack from anyone. Which includes you by the way !" she pointed out with an angry finger.

The ghost of a chuckle emanated through Toriel's throat. She continued, "If that is so, and if you are so determined to venture forward, then let me ask you those few questions... What would you do if your siblings were to perish ? Either taken out of your sight, or directly in front of you ? What if you had to watch the lives of the last of those young ones, who trusted you to protect them from everything, slowly crumble into dust while in your very hands ? How would you go on after this ? And... would you have the courage to go back to the place it happened ? Would you, **Lori** ?"

The eldest of the humans didn't answer, too stumped to even think of one. She asked the question again, but this time to herself : What kind of a question was this ? What did it have to do with... Toriel ? Lori felt her throat getting dry. Did she just... tell them the dark side of her life ? All the reasons why she was so hard-headed about letting them go, or guide them herself ? The puzzle was slowly piecing itself together, but there was simply something missing, something to make all those pieces fit...

{ _Now, go back to Heartache._ }

"You cannot answer those questions, can you, child ?" cut in Toriel, strength returning in her voice, and the flames burning anew. "I do not blame you. But perhaps it helped you see why I can't let you continue this hopeless quest of yours. Now, answer me my own question, children." The burning in her eyes intensified, as did the ones in her hands.

" **Will you fight, or run away ?** "

"Neither." was the answer on all of the Louds' tongues, but none of them, not even prideful Lynn, could quite work up the courage to tell her that.

Toriel prepared another Blazing Paw attack, and the kids stood ready for it, having memorized the thing after all those assaults. What they _didn't_ see coming was the strange echo of the giant hand making the flames appear, as if more flames were popping up from...

"Behind us !" warned Luna, as she noticed another hand and trail of flames popping up from behind their pack of siblings had almost no time to react before the flames darted in their direction. Some of them managed to hit the worn-down siblings, but while that was nothing new, one of them took advantage of Lori's surprise to do the ultimate taboo, the one thing that it shouldn't have done in a million years.

 **It hit Lily, smacking her _right in the face._**

* _...Yikes._

A sharp gasp of shock erupted amongst the astounded siblings, and Toriel hitched a breath. Lily was silent for a moment, wordlessly poking her bruised cheek. The realization slowly set itself inside her mind. Goat Mom... had hit her. Her eyes began to moister, a hiccup rose here and there, her breathing got faster. Her face contorted in more and more sadness, until...

" _WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH !_ " Lily violently burst into tears, her wails only increasing in woe even as all of her older siblings circled her to give her comfort.

"The burnt mark barely reaches the first degree, s-she's going to be fine." nervously lisped Lisa.

"Yeah, c'mon Lily. I'll just blow on your boo-boo, you like that !" said Lincoln, trying to sound eager for his little sister as he blew his 'healing breath' on her cheek, but it did little to appease the hysterical toddler.

"Y-Yeah Lily, you're a strong little baby. This should be a _breeze_ for you, hahaOWOWOWOW, OKAY, I GET IT, WRONG TIME !" shouted Luan as she tried to get her ponytail out of Lily's enraged claws. The baby had never been fond of her big sister's jokes, and when into tantrums, Lily had a bit of a destructive habit, making it a code yellow for the survival of Luan's hair.

"Please stop crying Lily. Because if you keep crying, t-then I'm gonna cry t-t-too." blubbered Leni.

"So not the time, sis !" hissed Lynn as she tried to prevent her big sister from melting into tears too.

Toriel's furred paws trembled as the thought of what she had done settled in. Attacking a child was bad enough of a feat for her, but to attack an infant just crossed a line. Knowing that she was the only one responsible for Lily's cries of sorrow only made them more unbearable. And at this moment, a linger of doubt appeared in Toriel's mind. Could they be right ? Was it wrong of her to coop them away in those safe, but cramped Ruins she called home ? Perhaps... if it was causing them such pain, then maybe she should-

" _There will be no compromise anymore ! Every human that falls down here must_ **DIE** _!"_

The memory of _that_ voice was just what Toriel needed to brush aside those thoughts, her mind resteeling itself. What was the point of granting them this type of Mercy, if at the end, they would simply perish under **HIS** might ? What she was doing here was her Mercy. She'd take this guilt over the one of knowing she had sent them to her death anytime.

 _She knew that from experience, really..._

But meanwhile, as hysteria was grand within more than ninety percent of the Loud kids, it was only growing inside Lori's mind. The one sibling she had promised herself to protect at any cost was now hurt and crying, and on the moment, Lori blamed herself for it. She hadn't been strong enough to prevent this from happening... **but that could change very easily.**

So with a simmering blood, Lori passed the sobbing Lily to Luna, and advanced towards Toriel with heavy steps, showing all of her pearly whites and almost glaring a hole between the woman's eyes. Oddly enough, the option boxes followed her. "Either fight or run away, huh ? Heh, we've been following **your** rules all this time, so why not ?" Lori chuckled dryly, sending chills around the room and down her siblings' backs. "If you want a choice, o dear Guardian..."

She sorted the Toy Knife from her pocket, not taking any notice of the dim glow around it, or the chorus of gasps behind her, or even the fact that Lily stopped her crying. Her hand hovered over the one button they hadn't touched yet, the one they said they would never use. But Lori did not care about any of this anymore, her eyes slowly focused on the agressive _roadblock_ in front of her. She raised her knife in the air, punched the FIGHT button, and...

" **Here's mine !** "

 _SLASH !_

[ _-25_ ]

A green bar appeared over Toriel's head, full of lively green colour. But as a red _-25_ appeared over it, a bit of grey appeared at the far end. The hit had apparently made it to its target, as even if Toriel barely flinched, pain did manage to appear on her features.

Behind Lori, only shock and horror could be found on the siblings' faces, as if a murder had happened right before their eyes. As if a fight against Toriel wasn't bad enough, now their oldest sister, their other figure of maturity, was joining the violence. Lucy was especially regretting her mumbling to herself from earlier, "Can this fight get any worse ?". As a pessimism specialist, she truly should've known better.

"Is it too late to say that maybe I should've kept my mouth shut ?" said Lincoln anxiously. Nobody answered, not really even sure what was what anymore.

As for Lori, she could feel her organic heart ready to burst out of her chest to meet the magic one in front of her. For a crucial instant, Lori had thought that attacking a monster could mean instant death, but it turned out that the Senior Froggit had been right in his instructions. And Lori felt determined to follow those, so that painful fight could finally find the end she was looking for.

She smirked in Toriel's direction, a bit of euphoria still running in her blood. "See ? I can fight, I can wave that bad boy around !" she half-chuckled, half-spat while turning her weapon in her hand. Toriel's eyes widened a bit upon seeing it, but quickly shook her head back to focus. Lori kept on going though. "Now that I've proved that I can litteraly push a button and defend myself, are you going to move out of our way ?!"

Toriel's gaze hardened, as did her voice. "Do you truly think that a warning shot will suffice ? A foe will not relent just because you've ruffled their fur or scratched their neck. Especially not **THEM**. You have yet to prove me that you are strong enough to survive, _child !_ "

A Flame Blast attack swayed in Lori's direction, who managed to make herself fit through the right spots, and came out of the attach unscathed. Her siblings had to back away, as the attack managed to end right before their noses, as their backs were almost grazing the flames on the walls.

* _"The aloofness of the room has doubled !"_

"Couldn't have placed it better myself, bro." whispered Lynn, almost fearful of either of the two litteral hotheads in front of her hearing her. And this fright just felt wrong all around.

Lori pratically snarled and grinned wrathfully at Toriel's proposition. So that was how she wanted to play this game ? "Oh, you want more ? _Fine by me !_ Maybe _you'll_ get to learn something for a change !"

Lori pressed the FIGHT button again, and swung her deadly plastic weapon.

 _SLASH !_

[ _-28_ ]

"Does nobody think that we should do something ?" proposed Lana fearfully.

"You don't have the slightest idea of how much I'd like to say yes at the moment, but I'm afraid our lifespans will decrease significally if we try to insert ourselves in this pride inferno of a battle." analyzed Lisa with a bit of a heavy heart. Her voice went back to its usual neutrality once something came into her mind. "Besides, our sistriarch may've found a possible solution to Spare our snow-furred Guardian."

"I think I know where you're going from, Lis'." nodded Luna, having thought of it herself. "Dudes, rememeber what that old Froggit said to us, about fighting monsters ?"

" _If you ACT a certain way, or **FIGHT** until they are almost defeated, your opponents might not want to continue the battle. If such case happens, then be kind, humans, and use some **MERCY** , ribbit."_

"So if Lori keeps fighting, it might make Goat Mom throw in the towel ?" theorized Lola, doubt clear in her voice as she watched Lori dancing around Toriel's flame missiles. "I'm not sure it's that great of a plan..."

Lincoln passed a comforting arm around his pink-clad sister, which she accepted without a peep. "Yeah, it's not sounding good, but I think that's the best plan we've got for now. So... let's just watch Lori do her thing, and... maybe jump in if things get too intense. Well, more than they are now, anyway."

 _SLASH !_

[ _-30_ ]

And so was the way this battle played out for the following turns. Lori would relentlessly attack, delepting _HP_ from Toriel's health bar, and Toriel would firmly answer with a fire-based attack, sometimes grazing Lori's form and slowly bringing her own _HP_ down. Every time any of the two would get hurt, the other Louds would flinch hard. None of them were even sure of who to support. Oviously they wanted to go home and didn't want the eldest of their sibling pack losing. But seeing her increasingly frustrated face, the siblings weren't sure they wanted to see her win either.

As the fight kept on going, some of the most sensible siblings, such as Leni, Lily, the twins, and even Luan at some point, tried to avoid looking at two of their loved ones, one long-standing sibling leader, the other freshly adored motherly figure, beating eachother up for reasons they weren't even sure they could stand behind.

Lincoln's inner narrator's tips were more or less the same, with things such as " _Toriel prepares a magical attack._ " or " _The heat stays the same, but you still can't get used to it._ ". Nothing truly notesworthy, except perhaps the constant neutrality in its voice that was getting on the siblings' nerves.

After the eternity that was 10 consecutive turns of this fight, Lincoln dared to inquire to his purple-clad big sister, with a shy voice. "Luna, I'm beginning to think this is a bad plan after all."

Luna looked unsure as well, but tried to keep confidence in her tone. "Lori knows what she's doing, bro. Besides, M-Mama T. is barely down to the half, so there is still leeway. E-Every little thing's gonna be alright, you'll see."

 _SLASH !_

[ _-42_ ]

Lucy, looking even paler than usual, hitched a breath, and shakingly reached for her roommate for support. "I've got a bad omen about this. Shall this fight keep going, something terrible will unfurl."

"B-But I thought your predictions were considered wrong since our visit to the national park ?" anxiously reminded Lola.

Lucy shook her head, making her long ebony bangs bounce. "This is no mere tarot reading, I can read this premonition all over the room. I can feel a shadow creeping on the walls, amongst those lights of violence. Something horrible is about to happen, a tragedy that we might not get away from."

"W-W-Well, maybe it won't. Maybe Toriel's name will get all yellow in an instant, and Lori will see it, and everything will c-calm down." said Leni, trying to stay optimistic despite it all. But as the next attack unfurled...

 _SLASH !_

[ _-35_ ]

* _"...Toriel has low HP."_

This single warning managed to get all the teens' and childrens' hearts to freeze, and for their breaths to be cut instantly. This seemingly benign remark only rung on thing in their minds : _The situation was getting etremely dangerous._

"Okay, no joke here, we've gotta stop this battle immediately !" panicked Luan, all thoughts of humour gone from her mind, and that was saying something.

"Heck yeah, let's just tackle Lori, and make so she doesn't touch that thing anymore !" asserted Lynn, punching her open palm. But her action was swiftly blocked by Luna.

"Dude, we've gotta be extra careful, this is Lori we are talking about ! I want this to end as much as you do, but you know what we usually say : ' _When Lori in the face is red, quick hide under your bed !_ '"

"We can't wuss out now ! Haven't you heard Lincoln ?! Or the guy in his head, or whatever ?!" argued the jock heatedly.

Luna mumbled under her breath, then looked directly into the brunette's eyes, assuming her duty as second-in-command. "Dude, the last thing we need is for Lori to go hysterical. So instead of using more violence, let's use something more uniting and way more powerful : Our voices !"

"I must be in agreement here, the last thing we need is for another our trademark brawling clouds to form." reasoned Lisa with conviction. "Our only salvation is to use the strength of our lungs to-"

"We get it, no need to be all sciency with it !" interrupted Lana, earning a glare from her little sis. "What matters right now is that we do it fast ! Lori's about to take her next turn, and she's kinda become a lefty if you get what I mean !"

"LORI ! You're going too far, stop it now !" called Lincoln with his hands cupped around his lips for extra echo. Her sisters helped in that matter, doing their best to live up to their family name in hopes of preventing what could be the worst decision of their oldest sister's life.

Unbeknown to them, Lori HAD heard Lincoln's narrative warning, and that was precisely why she was not moving at the moment. Taking a good look at Toriel's health bar, the adolescent could see it nearing the third. Her exhilaration flickered, this was getting dangerous. Plus, not only Lori could feel her own tiredness, with her lungs and joints feeling like they were on fire, but the same could be said for Toriel.

Heck, if anything, Toriel looked even worse. The lack of _HP_ was clearly starting to show, with her breathing getting short and raspy, her staggering stance, and pearls of sweat rolling down her fluffy forehead. Even her robes looked messy, and had cut marks in it, ones that, Lori realized, she had inflicted to her.

Lori looked at Toriel's name after pushing the ACT button, just to see, and felt a pulse of frustration rise when she saw how NOT yellow it was. But strangely, the anger that had been dominating her for the last five minutes was starting to fade, and the human was seriously starting to question her situation. So, still driven by frustration but starting to see reason, Lori confronted Toriel verbally once more.

"Okay look, we've been doing this for a while now." huffed Lori languidly. "We're both tired, both bruised, and I think it's safe to say that if your pies didn't do that weird thing you explained to me about monster food, we would've thrown them up by now. So, it's been... really not fun at all, though it did great in allowing me to unwind. But now, we litteraly, and I **do mean** _ **litteraly**_ , got to stop ! I've proven that I can strike someone, over ten times now ! I can hurt opponents and send them running for their lives ! I can dodge attacks while being on the verge of defeat ! I am 100% able to defend myself, and my siblings ! So, grah ! How is this all not enough for you to let me go through ?!"

Toriel shook her head to strengthen her focus, and adressed Lori with the same indifference. "I am yet to be defeated, child. If you truly wish to reach your goal, you will have to persevere a little more than that. **ASGORE** and those who seek your SOULs will not give up while a third of their health remains !"

"First, will your ever tell us who that person is ?!" vented Lori with annoyance. "Second, you litteraly can't be serious about this ! Don't you feel the pain of my plastic knife slashing at your fur ? And why does this sentence even have a working context ?!"

"Your patience is wearing thin, my child."

"AND WHOSE FAULT IS THAT ?!" roared Lori, then bit her tongue to collect the last traces of calm in her bloodstream. "What are you trying to prove here ? What else do you want me to prove ?!"

"That you'll be willing to give your all into protcting your kin from the true monsters out there. You wish to be seen as the figure of leadership your age bestow upon you, do you not ? Then prove to me here and there that you'll be this figure, or go back to your room !"

In a brief outbreak of rage, Lori's hand almost jumped on the FIGHT button. Thankfully, her siblings' plights managed to reach her.

"Don't do it !"

"Lori, think about you're about to do for a second !"

"This is way more macabre than you want in your life, trust me."

"We can find another way !"

"Devising another tactic would be the smartest thing to do !"

"There is no reason for you to _goad_ this goat !"

"C'mon Lori, this isn't you either !"

"Ablugahguerptfxxx !"

"Yeah, what she said !"

"Please Lori, just stop..."

' _What in blazes am I doing ?_ ' thought Lori with shameful clarity. The violent light emanating from her SOUL began to dim, as did the one around her weapon. Then, her SOUL's rapid beating completely stopped, making it peacefully float again. Finally, her anger had been put under lock and key, reason was returning to the blonde, and she too could sense this omnious bad feeling, shared by her siblings.

Lori stood up straight again, and will was in her eyes once more. "No. My siblings are right, this is simply not how things should be done. I won't accept this awful and narrow set of choices you've given us. If those are the rules you epect us to follow, then we'll just make a new one, that will satisfy and keep everyone alive !"

"YAAAAY !" cheered the siblings, glad to have their reliable sister back to reason.

Toriel, on the other hand, simply sighed and shook her head. "This is quite the bold claim. And quite the reckless one as well. If you are not willing to prove yourself strong here, then you won't stand a chance out there. Please, you must do what is right here !"

"And I am." said Lori, shakily putting her foot down. "I'm sorry Goat Mom, but there has to be another choice besides running away and brawling our way out. I litteraly _refuse_ to do this anymore, even if you tell me so. I'm really sorry."

Lori turned around, and marched towards her siblings, who looked glad about her return among them. Part of her mind though, couldn't shake the feeling that they were glad she was _stepping down as a whole_. She tried to dismiss this silly thought, but it proved easier said than done. But all in all, Lori felt she was done with this FIGHT nonsense, and was ready to stand on the sidelines for a bit...

But all it took for this happy outcome to be smashed to smithereens, was a few words from Toriel, whose disappointement let a rift appear in her mask, and for some slight spite to ooze from it.

 **One that Toriel herself couldn't have begun to measure the consequences of.**

"I truly thought that you would have made a great guide. But it seems that I ended up being very wrong about you. _How disappointing._ "

{ _Music quiets down..._ }

Lori's entire being froze, her pupils retracting until they were barely bigger than pebbles. This blow was more violent than all of the hits she had received, more painful than any of her aching joints, and more scarring than the burn marks blighting her skin. The time she had been demeaned in front of her entire class because of her braces at the dreaded age of thirteen, did not hold a candle, nay a _matchstick_ to how bad she felt right now. Something had died inside the teen, something had vanished...

 **Something had snapped...**

" _Control Freak..."._ **You have no power.**

" _Yeah, keep telling yourself that."._ **Only desillusions of grandeur.**

" _He's really nailing that big brother thing, ain't he ?"._ **They don't need you anymore. If they ever needed you in the first place.**

" _That's right, we've heard of the 'white-haired one', the one who selects options, gives tips, and makes all the decisions when in battle. Obviously, he's your leader."_. **You don't even look like a leader. Everyone undermines you, including those who don't know you.**

" _I truly thought that you would have made a great leader. But it seems that I ended up being very wrong about you. How disappointing."_. **Even for those who expected something from you, you let them down.**

 _ **You are nothing but second place. You should know that by now.**_

Suddenly, a memory came back to Lori, one that she wished had never done so.

* * *

" _Look, call me every name you want, but I'm afraid the facts are here. I've won." grinned Carol Pingrey while holding on her Homecoming Queen flowers and ribbon. Lori hissed both internally and externally as she looked at them. It should be HER name on that winning Ribbon. "Instead of bragging how easy it should be to win at every chance possible, I trained for weeks to ace the talent competition, and I put on an ultra-strict way to lose weight through exercise and eating healthier. It's called a 'diet', with a 'd'. You should try one some day."_

 _It was a good thing that Dana and Becky were holding their blonde friend back, as her breathing was getting animalistic, and her eyes were becoming boodshot. "I will destroy you, for everything you've stolen from me tonight !"_

 _Carol rolled her eyes, her condescending smile still plastered on her 'perfect face'. "Look, how is it my fault if Hank prefers the Homecoming Queen as a girlfriend ? Don't worry, I'm sure someone will love you the plethora of... modest talents you have."_

" _I WILL LITTERALY ANIHILATE YOU !" Lori pestered, foam starting to come out of her mouth. "I am a better person that you'll ever dream to be ! I have no idea what the judges saw in you that I don't have, but let me tell ya, you don't have anything !"_

" _Well, I do have the knowledge of the talent contest my rival's siblings are participating in, and how this night's Homecoming Queen Contest took way more time than it should have. Oh, and the lousy weather too." purred Carol with a sly smile._

 _Lori gasped at this, and looked outside to see a torrential rain. "Oh no..." she whispered, already imagining her siblings dripping wet and getting colds all around._

 _Carol couldn't fight back a giggle. "Boy oh boy, Lori. **Even as a big sister, you're nowhere as good as you think you are.** "_

* * *

Lori's head bowed forward, hiding her eyes behind a golden veil. Bone-cracking could be heard as she clenched both of her fists until they were white, and clenched her teeth with more pressure than ever before. She could feel her whole being beginning to heat up. The dam of her wrath was starting to open up.

"I am a good leader."

A foul pressuring feeling began to invade the room, as if storm clouds were gathering right above their heads, so strong that they could feel it through the mountain below. The flames around Toriel's paws began to dimminish, as motherly concern appeared on her face.

"My child... what did you say ?"

Ever so slowly, the door rose, allowing the bloodstream below to start sizzling.

"I _am_ a good leader."

The bad omen had become so potent, Luna felt she could've grasped it with her bare hands. Her entire body was trembling with bad vibes, and not just become of many of her siblings adding their own shaking onto her by grasping onto her legs, waist, and back. She tentatively adressed her quaking sister with an un-trademark small voice.

"Love, I think you should put the blade now, you ain't looking fresh..."

Now, her own sister didn't trust her with a toy, as if she was a helpless baby, as if she couldn't be trusted, as if she was clumsy, _untrustworthy,_ _unreliable,_ **useless.** **Useless. Useless Useless Useless Useless USELESS !**

 **BUT SHE WAS NOT USELESS !**

The dam's crank handle was no more, as the dam _**exploded open**_. The bloodstream was now full of resentful **molten lava** , internal pressure was going up like a pressure cooker under 20,000 degrees and _on_ steroids, and her SOUL was resuming its frantic beating, even more unhinged than before. It was only a matter of seconds before...

 **The volcano erupted.**

With bile climbing up her throat, Lori whipped her head up, showing her raging eyes to her terrorized siblings, not even noticing the hue of cyan hiding her irises, rendering her gaze even more scary. She sharply turned around, raised her knife-holding hand, punched the FIGHT button, and bellowed with every bit of anger stored inside her being...

" _ **I AM A GOOD BIG SISTER !**_ "

 _ **SLASH !**_

[ _ **-295**_ ]

As all of her wrath had been put inside that one attack, a wave of tiredness immediately hit Lori.

Followed closely by a tsunami of realisation over what she had just done. Slight showings of pain had appeared on Toriel's face before, but now the agony was all too clear, as she took small breathless gasps. As if that wasn't enough, a huge notch was now embed in her robes, hiding the spot where a gash had to be at her _stomach level._

" _No..._ " murmured Lori in horror.

"Ha... I suppose you have indeed proved that you... are strong enough." said Toriel, cracking a little smile that immediately fell once her wound acted up, forcing her on one knee. "Urgh... perhaps even stronger... than I thought..."

"No, no no nononononoNO !" yelled Lori, as she rushed to her kneeling Guardian, crouching to her level. "This wasn't... I didn't mean to... We can... I know, there is still some food upstairs ! All we have to do is to get you some, then you'll be better than ever, and-"

"No, it... will not work, my child." weakly said Toriel with a meek head shaking. "Once your SOUL's _HP_... are down to zero, there is nothing more to be done. Trust me... it has been tested before..."

"B-But if you don't, then..." blubbered Lori with fat tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, which only multiplied when she grasped the meaning of her words. "N-No, you can't die ! You can't, you... ah..."

Lori felt the softness of Toriel's paw on her wet cheek, reassuringly brushing it. "My child, you... have nothing to blame yourself about. Only I... need to apologize. All you did was... getting caught up... in the lunacy of a... lonely old lady. Perhaps too old even, haha..."

"Don't say stuff like that ! What are we supposed to do if you're gone ?!"

Toriel kept smiling as her voice got a little weaker. "I have no fear for your future... as I know _you_ 'll be there... to defend your family. As for where... it is quite simple." She rose a shaky finger towards the door, which flames had already all been extinguished. "Follow the way beyond this door. If you... walk long enough... you'll eventually reach... the exit you are looking for... Do not worry... _someone_ will be watching over you... he promised me so."

"But we don't want _someone_... we want you." hiccuped Lori, now with dripping mascara-covered cheeks. " _I_ want you..."

"Ha... how kind of you... my dear Lori." chuckled Toriel, then wincing as she could feel the shifting of her form around her wound. A bit of dust was already pouring through the hole in her robes. She needed to act fast. So she clasped her hands around the teen's shoulders, her feeble voice morphing into urgency. "Lori... listen to me. Do not... let **ASGORE**... take any of your SOULs... do you understand ? Do not let **ASGORE** win... his horrible plan... musn't be fulfilled... Do this for me... will you not ?"

"I'm sorry... Don't die, I'm sorry..." was all Lori could say.

Toriel raised her head, and adressed to all the Louds. "Live, children. Find your way... out of this prison. And please... be good, alright ?" She slowly closed her eyes. " . . ."

And thus, Toriel's body blurred into a white form, and fell into a pile of white dust. Nothing was left of the Motherly Monster, only a big pile of dust.

Well, that wasn't true. A little white floating object began to manifest itself, which Lori quickly recognized as a SOUL, but unlike any of the ones her or her siblings had. First, as said, it was completely white. Second, the SOUL was turned upside-down, pointing upwards instead of down.

The humans quickly guessed it, it was Toriel's SOUL. But instead of the strong presence she... _used_ to inspire, the little heart looked very frail, as if it was about to shatter.

 _And... wouldn't you know it..._

Cracks began to appear all over the SOUL, each one heard and _felt_ by the kids. More and more showed up, creating a real spiderweb, until finally, a rift in the middle opened, followed by the SOUL exploding with a glass-shattering sound. Its pieces disappeared along the room, just like its owner had.

The room fell into silence, all the Louds feeling too shellshocked to peep a word. Even Lincoln's inner narrator didn't dare to announce the end of the Fight, neither saying that they had won.

 _After all, had they truly ?_

"This is... no way it..." choked Lynn, her natural passion completely absent from her voice.

"Heh... come on, w-what's the punchline here ?" Luan chuckled hollowly, waiting for the mere trace of what had to be a very unfunny joke.

Lily's puffy eyes began to well up once more. She wasn't as smart as her roommate, but everything was clear to her. "Goa'... Goa'... GOA' MAMAAAAAAAAAA !" the poor baby exploded in sobs, the pain in her swollen throat being nothing compared to how she was feeling inside.

The shock was not any less lost on Lola and Lana. Their self-control fell apart piece by piece, as they put their hands on where their SOULS had retreated. The duo's eyes didn't leave the pile of dust for a second, as if they were hoping Toriel would magically reappear. Magic existed down here after all ! But after a few seconds, the hope in their eyes was replaced with despair.

"Goat Mom..." whispered Lana.

"She is..." sniffled Lola.

And then another dam broke down.

"SHE'S DEAAAAAAAAAAAD !" cried the twins in sorrowful unison, as they sobbed eachother's shoulders wet. Lana's bravado and Lola's assurance were gone, leaving only two weeping little kids.

Meanwhile, as hell began to break loose behind her, Lori was completely silent. She _contemplated_ the dust before her, the one that had gotten on her fingers. She had Toriel's remains on her fingers. But she didn't shake it off, as if she knew that it would never go. But Lori wasn't sure she knew anything anymore. Her mind was still reeling over what she had done, replaying this moment of Toriel crumbling into dust while smiling at her, over and over.

 _Awful_ multiplied by a hundred wasn't beginning to cover how Lori was feeling deep down inside.

"N-No... it's not... didn't... she wanted... but I said..." mumbled the teen like insanity had taken over.

But suddenly, an eerie glow caught her eye. She turned to look at it, despite herself, and saw that it was coming from the Toy Knife. The very weapon that had... Lori's mind couldn't bare to finish that thought.

Then, Lori started to see reflections in the blade. She was seeing a reflection of light as if the plastic had become ultra-clean metal. She honestly felt her mind slipping away at the moment, but was unable to look away.

The white reflection suddenly took a familiar shape. The one of a certain old Froggit that had advised them about Monster Fights. And all of its elderly kindness had been replaced by deep disappointement.

" _Mercy was still avaliable, but a single blow to your ego was all it took to break your promise."_ ranted the apparition. _"And to think I trusted in your success."_

The blade gleamed, and replaced Froggit by a Loox, glaring heatedly at the pathetic girl.

" _Looks like we were more than spot on. Took bullying to a whole other level, huh ? If all humans are like you, I don't want to even meet another one."_ spat the horned monster with clear heatred.

Another bright flash, and this time appeared the vague shape of... a little girl, glowing of the same cyan than Lori's SOUL, and harbouring a face identical to the famous Mask of Tragedy.

" _Why ?"_ pitifully began the echoing feminine voice. _"She offered you protection, a roof, food, and so very much more. And you striked her down. Why ? Why didn't you try more ?... Why couldn't you have been more **patient** ?"_

Lori's sorry-looking face became even more miserable. Forget feeling empty, Lori could feel her own guilt and sadness eating her from inside.

And as she thought things couldn't go anymore downhill...

" _Ah come on, don't listen to them. What do they know about **you** ?_ "

This voice rung very familiar to Lori. And for a good reason, it was her own voice speaking ! The teen slowly looked at her knife once more, and found a rather strange sight. She saw... herself, yet something didn't add up. The reflection had none of the wounds and marks from the fight, both physical and emotional. She smiled a serene smile, almost content. But Lori knew enough about herself to detect a very familiar edge in her smile. The one that clearly stated "I so know that I'm right and you're not.".

" _Look, if you want my thoughts – and by mine, I of course mean yours – you just did what you had to do. You stepped up as leader, and defended your sisters and brother._ " spoke the reflection in an easy-going tone that gave Lori the chills. _"Besides, Toriel said it herself, she_ asked _you to fight. Accidents happen, and that's that."_

"But that's not what I wanted..." murmured Lori in a dejected tone.

The reflection adopted a more 'sympathetic' tone. " _Oh, of course you didn't. But you can't exactly do anything about it now, can you ?"_ she chuckled. " _But enough about the grim_ _ **past**_ _, let's focus on your future. You've proven that you have the guts and strength to move forward, that you'll all come out on top. Speaking of which, do you feel it ? This power building inside you ?_ "

Lori pondered over this. She... was indeed feeling something inside her. She felt herself becoming stronger, less afraid of dangers possibly lurking. But there was something very wrong about this feeling. As if it wanted to become more potent, more powerful, just... _more_.

" _Isn't it wonderful ?_ " chimed in 'Mirror Lori' with a big and hungry smile. "This _, is the reward over our victory, and the_ _ **ones to come**_ _. This is the power that will help us go through the Underground, and will make everyone understand who exactly is Lori Loud. No one will ever ask for trouble out of us, and no one will ever contest how much of an_ _ **important**_ _leader we are !_ "

The sheer joy in her counterpart's voice almost made Lori bile, especially how eerie it sounded when mentionning 'victories **to come** '. She couldn't believe she was hearing this, and through her own voice even.

The counterpart seemingly noticed it, and dropped to a faux-sweet tone, quite familiar too. " _Aww, are you still feeling the guilt ? Are you afraid it's going to haunt you even more if you keep fighting ? Well you don't have to worry about that..._ "

And then, one final, horrible transformation happened. Sick cracking noises echoed in Lori's ears, as her counterpart's mouth corners went up, and up, until the toothy smile reached both of her ears. A shadow passed over her eyeballs, almost making them look like empty eye sockets. Finally, wrinkles appeared on her brow and cheeks, adding a pure aura of malice in the smile. Lori gasped in sheer terror. She knew that smile, the one that had haunted her nightmares for the last few days.

 **It was Flowey's smile. _But plastered on her face._**

" ** _After a few more_ victories _, you won't even feel it anymore !_** " taunted the image in a dual voice, both hers and Flowey's, before releasing a shrill unhinged cackle. " **Hahahahahahaha ! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !** "

Lori produced a shriek of pure abomination, and threw the cursed weapon away. As it bounced on the wall like the toy it was, Lori immediately noticed what was in the blade. Or rather what wasn't. No more reflection, just the plain old, reflectionless plastic it consisted of. _And always had._

Lori passed her hands through her blonde hair, now certain that she was losing her mind. Upon touching her hair, she felt the dust still gripping on her fingers. Her crime hit her again with the force of Leni's driving lessons crashes, but about a millionfold more painful. She slowly began to curl up into a fetal position, knees against her chest, and meekly shivering.

"I killed her..." she finally admitted with a voice so sad and empty, Lucy's poetry club would've been spooked out to the point of white hair.

Despite the growing chaos amongst the siblings, Luna and Lincoln took notice of their eldest sister's sorrow. They tried reaching out to her. "Lori, you... we know you didn't want it to be that way..." tried to ammend Lincoln, but he could immediately see how much of a bust the application of his plan was.

"I'm the real monster here... A horrible, angry, **_murderous_** _monster_..."

"C'mon Lori, this ain't the way to be thinking right now." argued Luna soothingly, advancing her hand near Lori's shoulder. "Let's just... regroup, and talk about this. I-I'm sure we can-"

" **NO ! DON'T TOUCH ME !** " screeched Lori dementedly, as she harshly slapped her little sister's hand away, making both of her siblings back away in fear. Lori curled up even more on herself, unwilling to even look at her family. "I'll just hurt you, just like I hurt Toriel. You're better off without me..."

Luna's hand ached, but not as much as her heart did upon hearing and seeing the empty shell that was all that was left of her big sister. The weight was finally too much for the young rocker to handle, and she crashed on her knees, allowing her woeful sobs to take over.

Pandemonium had been attained amongst the Louds, which wasn't such an uncommon feat for them, but never on this level or in that manner. Lana and Lola were still wailing their little hearts off, and so was Leni, whose dishelveld appeareance was a truly sorry sight. Lisa had tried rationalising the situation, but only came to the simple conclusion of the demise of their beloved Goat Mom. As such, she allowed her inner human emotions to take over, and cried like the 4 year-old she was. Lucy hung onto Lynn's strong stature, as a new level of sadness opened up to her. And she absolutely hated it. Lynn herself was not looking any better, letting big fat tears trail down her face, going as far as to consider the failure of this encounter, solely her own. Luan crawled into a far corner of the room to sob, as for the first time in her life, not one fiber of her being wanted to laugh. And poor baby Lily was left alone in the middle of the room, wailing and crying despite how hoarse her little voice sounded. Her neck and head were bright red, and all the poor little toddler could feel was pain.

Lincoln backed away, and took in the sight of his weeping, **crumbling** family. The boy wanted to hug every one of his sisters right now, but seeing them like that awoke a certain guilt that had been dormant during the last few days in Toriel's company.

The guilt of being the one who had made them come here, and that none of this would be happening had he not decided to be so foolishly curious.

Thus too ashamed to approach his sisters, Lincoln hugged himself, and openly weeped as well. ' _This wasn't supposed to happen... This wasn't even in the worst possible scenarios !_ ' cried the poor boy internally. ' _I don't want this..._ '

* _Ba-bump_ *

Unbeknown to him, Lincoln's red SOUL appeared, and began beating, its crimson light pulsating with each beat. As if it was charging up power...

' _Things didn't happen like any of us wanted them to be. It's wrong... it's all wrong._ '

* ** _Ba-bump_** _*_

The red little heart's beating accelarated, and its bright light began to be shared by its outline. The ten other Human SOULs reacted to this, even though their owners didn't. A tempo appeared between the eleven hearts, beating in unison, and increasingly faster. Crackles of energy echoed around the room, drowned by the humans' sobbing.

The hearts beated faster, and faster, producing more and more power. And the sweet release came when a single thought resonated inside each of the kids' minds, at the exact same time.

' ** _I wanna go back !_** '

[LOUD SAVE FILE, LOADED]

* * *

 **Author's note : Did I say everything would work out ? And you believe me ? How wonderfully naive...**

 **This was Superdimentio77. Don't forget to review, and see you next time~**


	8. Ruins, Part 6

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 1 : Ruins**

 **Part 5 : Strong in the real way...**

 **Author's Note : So... welcome back. This chapter sure took some time, didn't it ? But that's _totally_ not because I got engrossed in a new game or a new fandom. _Nooo..._**

 *** _Discreetly pushes a Tanuki Mario and Bendy plushies behind a conveniently placed crate*_**

 **Okay, I might've developped a bit of a writer's block here and there, but I thank everyone of you kind reviewers for leaving a nice comment on my little story. You, fanfic artists, and June's Loud House episodes, are what kept me going with this rather emotional chapter. I hope it will please you as much as the last one surprisingly did.**

 **Without further ado, other than I don't own Undertale, Loud House, or any of their characters, let's dive in !**

* * *

Lincoln couldn't move. No matter how he hard he tried, his numb appendages wouldn't budge. But at the same time, Lincoln could feel, see, and hear everything around him, as if he was trapped into a red, hot limbo.

Did he _really_ need a reason to remember last Thanksgiving ?

As said, all that Lincoln could see were pulsating red walls, noiselessly beating like a heart. His body was floating in a never-ending tube of that strange décor. As for the sound of the place, Lincoln's ears picked up the continuous sound of... tape rewinding ?

' _Oh, this is more like Luan's 12_ _th_ _birthday party then._ ' thought the boy, his thoughts strangely echoing. All that was missing were raveneous rabbits, and his berserking father armed with a _**spoon**_ **!** _Ah, such violence..._

Lincoln kept floating for a little while, at the whim of an inexistant force, and was getting both increasingly bored, and increasingly worried. His sisters were nowhere in sight, and the last he saw of them was less than reassuring, especially Lori. In desperation, the boy called out to his apparently-not-imaginary-friend. ' _Hey, spirit guy... girl ? Spirit person. You still haven't told me your name by the way, but no matter right now. Where are we ? Where are the girls ? And what's happening with my heart right now ?_ '

Lincoln was referring to the fact that he could feel a strange energy pulsating from his chest, with a worrisome red hue on its surface. He had no doubt that it was his SOUL's doing, but he simply could not explain the empowering feeling, except that it kinda reminded him of his last seconds on the Surface, trying to pull up his sisters out of the hole.

But the voice didn't answer, making Lincoln feel almost vexed. He was ready for a harsher call from inside his mind, until a little *ding* sound and a strange computer-ish voice stopped him in his tracks.

[LOAD COMPLETE]

"Wha-" managed to say Lincoln, before feeling something pulling him upward by the SOUL. As he flew at breakneck speed towards a hole of pure white light, the red walls began seizuring with all the colors of the rainbow, spinning faster and faster as Lincoln got closer to the light. The boy could only scream, but no sound came out.

Then, there was only light. Then, all faded to black.

 _And then all Lincoln knew was..._ purple ?

[LOAD SUCCESSFUL]

* * *

"AAAH !" yelled Lincoln, jolting up like he was waking up from a nightmare. The boy did his best to fight the nauseous feeling that was taking over his body at the moment, and trying to understand what the [ _Mercy_ ] had happened. His cheeks bloated up twice, but he managed to keep his breakfast from making a run for it. Somehow. "Oh gosh, what a messed-up nightmare that... was- hey, wait a minute."

Some things weren't adding up. First, he wasn't in the pyjamas Toriel had bought for him. Nope, his trademark and very chain-manufactured clothes were on him. Second, he wasn't in the red room. He was standing before Toriel's house, and it was daytime. Looking at his clean clothes, Lincoln could tell that he hadn't taken a sudden nap here. Besides, the Goat Mother wouldn't have allowed it, and would have carried him to a more confortable place to rest. An easy task, seeing how easily she had transported Leni in that exact same way after one of Lynn's football shots had hit her in the head.

In fact, the thing Lincoln immediately noticed was that he had none of the burn marks inflicted to him during that... battle, and that he was standing right next to the Save Point. Kinda like he had been before going down the stairs, and...

A theory popped up inside Lincoln's mind, but he had to verify it. So he immediately dashed inside the house, and he immediately ran into his sisters, all without the slightest wound, and looking as confused as he was.

"Guys, how the helmet did we come back here so fast ? And why doesn't anything hurt anymore ?" questionned Lynn while probbing her body to feel none of the injuries she once had.

"Wow, maybe Lucy's teleportation powers got to us or something." assumed Leni naively.

"For the last time, I do not teleport." stressed Lucy monotonely, yet with a pinch of frustration.

"Riiiiiight..." grinned Leni 'knowingly', making Lucy's hand itch for a proper facepalm.

"This is... quite the mystery I must admit." said Lisa, scratching her wild brown scalp. "All I can remember is levitating into some sort of limbo, surrounded by Orchid purple walls, until some inexistant force dragged me into a strange light, and making me wake up here amongst you, right on my two straight femurs."

Luna perked up at this. "Dude, I had the exact same one, except the walls were yellow."

"Mine were blue !" said Lola.

"And mine were orange !" added Lana.

"No way, mine were orange too !" said Lynn in surprise.

The Loud Sisters began chatting all at the same time, until Lincoln's clapping hands brought them back to reality. "Guys, I think we've gotta focus here. I mean, how did we even left the basement in the first place ? And right after Toriel-"

Lincoln stopped himself with a little gasp, but the harm had already been done, both for him and his sisters. Recent memories came back to them with the force of a bulldozer. A bulldozer of feels that is. The mere fact of remembering Toriel's wrath, then pain, then apologies, and finally _crumbling_ into dust, was enough to get tears welling up into the eleven pairs of eyes.

But as Lola went inside her dress... hammerspace, to reach out for a handkerchief before her mascara could get ruined again, she felt something that made her snap right out of her sadness. This... sugary, crispy feeling on her glove, one that had managed to stay fresh for days inside her dress. But that simply couldn't be...

The little princess took the item out for a good look. And it was exactly what she thought it was. "Uh, guys ? I think you might wanna look at this." called Lola worriedly.

Through emerging tears, the Louds turned to look at what their pink sister had to show. The same eye widening reverbated across all the kids' stumped faces.

"Lola... when did you pick out another spider donut ?" asked Luan, trying to figure out this new paradox. But of course, being Luan, "And not even sharing with your siblings ? That's not very _sweet_ you know."

"Uh, that's kind of the thing. _I didn't._ " explained Lola, getting more weirded out by the second.

"But didn't you gobble it up, like we all did when... wait a little sec." drawled Lincoln, as he quickly inserted his hand inside his pocket. His eyes widened once more, and he slowly fished out his own Donut Piece, under the shocked gazes of his sisters, who quickly did the same. And to their ever-growing confusion, all Donut Pieces were there, as yummy and uneaten as they were when they had bought them.

"Okay, this is getting very freaky. And I once saw a squirrel using Cliff as its steed." quipped Lana, though she was not sure that this was the best comparison in her book.

' _How is this even possible ? It's like we never ate them in the first place !_ ' mumbled Lincoln internally, hoping for an answer from Ghost Narrator up there, but the guy/girl/person was apparently taking a nap. But as he mulled over his last words, and added to them all the strange facts plus that tape rewinding sound, his theory came back to him. ' _Like it never happened..._ '

"Can this whole thing get any more bizarre ?" commented Luna, arching an eyebrow.

"It... apparently can." pointed out Lisa. The little genius was currently looking at her own cellphone, and did not just looked like she had run out of battery. "I have arranged my phone to tell the exact time through a mechanism inside it, with no room for any error."

"Poo... poo ?" asked Lily, tilting her head.

"Why am I pointing that fact out ? Perhaps because the hour that I'm currently watching is simply improbable and impossible in every sense I can currently think of." finished Lisa with a small trembling chuckle, as she showed her phone to her siblings.

 _It read **11:00.**_

A moment of silence. Then, Lana felt a bit bold, and simply shrugged. "Well, even the best plumbers have their wrong wrench spinnings from time to time."

"My invention is not flawed !" argued Lisa back, not thrilled for her prideful intellect to be questionned. "I've been changing the mechanism every month, and it did not explode once. Hence, it works !"

"Those are pretty simple principles to live by, especially for you." quipped Lucy, prompting Lisa to hiss in surprise at the little princess of darkness being close enough to breathe down her neck. Boundaries weren't exactly a given with Lucy. "Even so, that doesn't explain how we came back one minute after Lincoln went to Save."

"Hold on, hold on, I'm demanding a _time_ -out on this one !" said Lynn while doing an 'X' motion with her arms. Luan opened her maw, but quickly closed it when Lynn gave her a very meaningful look, along with a very meaningful breath through her nostrils. The jokester gave an innocent smile instead, prompting Lynn to nod in a "I thought so" fashion.

As the sisters began to chat and argue amongst themselves, the gears inside Lincoln's mind whirled faster and harder than ever, trying to make sense of all the clues he had at his disposal. ' _Let's see, our injuries are gone, our donut pieces are back in our pockets, and we've apparently woken up RIGHT after I've... saved. But... if that's what I think, then..._ '

"Urgh, it's like getting those stupid old stage amps working along with everything." groaned Luna, not looking happy about the headache accompanying the furry mouth she was experiencing at the moment. "The more you tug on those tangled cables, the more they become... Lincoln ?"

"Lincoln ? He doesn't need cables, he uses food and water to work. I mean, those are how boys really work, right ?" queried Leni with pursed lips. There was that one time when she had managed to convince her fellow sisters that Lincoln was a robot after watching a movie, before remembering the ending. Nine-year old Lincoln had made sure to use every stretch of their apology for destroying his brand new computer and Mp3.

"No ! I mean, yes they do, but I'm talking about what our bro's doing right now !" said Luna, pointing at the shadow of the white-haired boy disappearing down the stairs at great speed, not even bothering telling his sisters of his action.

"What the- Lincoln !" called Lynn, immediately giving chase to her runaway brother.

"Hey, wait for us !" yelped Lola, as all bolted down the stairs as well. Once they reached the basement, they found their brother right by the bottom of the stairs, standing still.

"Lincoln ! We're supposed to stay a solid group !" scolded Lynn as the sisters annoyedly circled their brother. "I know everything's kinda weird right now, and I dig the burst of speed, but you can't just wuss out on us ! And you... um..." The jock began to trail down as she looked over her brother's features, namely the wide-eyed stare and the trembling jaw. A hint of concern passed over Lynn's own features. "Uh Lincs, you ain't having a panic attack, right ?"

"Nope... but I might be starting to see things." whispered Lincoln dumbfounded, pointing a trembling finger straight ahead of him.

Luan snickered a little. "Seeing ? Don't you mean, _stair_ ing ? Get it, cause we just went down some stairs... and..." But Luan's punchline stopped right there, right by the moment she took a good look down the corridor. Because what the siblings saw was pretty show-stealing, she had to admit that.

 **It was Toriel.** Standing a bit ahead of the kids, her back facing them, and most importantly, not being a mere pile of white dust. Nope, the lady monster was tall and whole. And rather than questions piling up their minds, all the Louds could feel was an overwhelming sensation of joy.

"I... I can't flippin' believe it..." hiccuped Luna with renewed tears, but of happiness this time around. "It's... It's..."

"GOAT MOOOM !" cried out the twins in pure ecstasy, as they rushed towards Toriel and crashed into her robes, only furthering their joy of finding them, and her, to be very much real.

"You're there ! Oh gosh, we were so worried !" exclaimed Lana tearfully, trying her upmost not to use the purple fabric as a handkerchief.

"Yeah, we thought something terrible happened to you ! But I guess it was just all in our silly little heads ! I'm so glad." gushed Lola soothingly, as she rested her head in the robes. But... after a few seconds of being just glad for this nightmare to be over, Toriel's lack of response began to feel weird to the two blond tykes. Both looked up at her head, and arched an eyebrow at her serious expression. "Um, Goat Mom ?"

"So, you desperately wish to leave this place, to go home. Do you not ?" Toriel began, with a distinct hollowness and lack of tenderness that... _wait..._

"Um... what ?" muttered Lana with a puzzled tone. This sounded way too familiar.

"There is only one way to exit the Ruins, and it stands ahead of us. By passing this door, one can access the rest of the Underground, and see all that inhabit and lead it."

"Yeah, you kinda already said that. Like, in those exact same words." said Lola, trying to find some sense out of this situation. But Toriel kept going, as if she hadn't heard her.

"I'm going to destroy it. I'm going to destroy this cursed exit. Nobody will EVER be able to leave again. Now be good children, and go back upstairs."

And on those very familiar words, Toriel departed down the hallway, leaving VERY confused children behind. It was like hearing some kind of record, or watching a movie for the second time, each word being the exact same. And... that wasn't so far out from the truth, something that Lincoln realized as the puzzle pieces in his mind finally clicked together.

"Holy bargaining bananas ! It's finally making sense !" exclaimed the boy in sheer enthusiasm, which greatly startled his sisters, and confused them some more.

"Really ? You truly know what's going on ? Then please, do propose, I feel like taking the most scatter-brained of theories right about now." said Lisa while putting a hand on her throbbing head.

"The Save Points ! They work exactly how I first thought they did ! I know it sounds a bit weird, but hear me out. In games, once you've saved, your progression is written in the file, and cannot be changed. But everything that happens after that can be changed as many times as you want, until you engrave that new progress by Saving again ! And that's exactly what we did here !"

"Okay, wait a sec... are you telling me that we went back in time ? Like in that movie with the flying car ?" rationalized Lana.

Lincoln made a so-so gesture with his hand. "It's not exactly the same thing, but yes, we've gone back in time. After the... _end_ of the battle with Toriel, I only had one thought in my head. To go back, and make so it never happens. And I'm ready to bet my entire Muscle Fish collection that you did as well." The sisters all nodded, starting to see where their brother was getting at. "And through this intense will of going back, we managed to _Load_ the Save File, cancelling everything that happened after that. This is... just insane you guys ! That means we have a chance to mess up, learn from it, and go back to fix our mistakes !"

A thrill of excitement managed to quickly find its way onto most of the Loud siblings' faces. Who hadn't ever dreamed of a do-over for a lousy day or action ? Walking and falling into a manhole, destroying a window with a wrong-angled shoot, losing your only doughnut to the dog, the list of little misteps with frustrating consequences was endless ! And now, in this weird world, they had been granted the power to avoid that !

"By Waston and Crick's hypnotizing eyebrows, can you even dare to imagine how much it would increase the speed of technologic advances, and how much collateral damages could be avoided ?!" laughed Lisa ecstasically. Thoughts about studying this phenomenon, and of how much it could get her close to the perfection of a real Time Machine, more than made up to the fact that it didn't make much sense in the first place.

"And I could, like, choose the perfect outfit, and have hours of shopping ahead of me !" chirped Leni, imagining herself getting all the rarities of the sales, before that Nancy meanie and her harpies always following her.

"I could know all those football suckers' moves before they even play them ! Wait, never mind, that'd suck the fun out of the whole thing." Lynn nodded wisely.

"How about exams then ?" slyly suggested Luan, making her one-year-younger sister greatly perk up.

"Ooooh yeah, now that makes it fancy."

"Heck yeah it does !" whooped Luna, as the purple-yellow-red trio collectivley high-fived, ignoring Lisa's scornful gaze and headshake.

Seeing how sweeped up by excitement his sisters were, Lincoln decided to add the cherry on top. "But guys, do you know what's the sweetest thing of all ? The world is giving us a second chance to do things right with Goat Mom !"

This effectively got the kids to cheer louder. With better knowledge, maybe they could even avoid any conflict at all, and then be swept in hugs, pies, and maybe even getting to do the rest of the road with Toriel. It just sounded amazing !

But then, Lucy stopped cheering, as an idea came to her, one that she felt she had to share with her siblings. She miraculously grabbed their attention from the get-go. "Um, everyone ? I know putting a damp on the situation is kinda my thing, but... _how_ are we going to make things different, since Toriel is already very upset with us ?"

Gloomy realization took its cue, leaving the kids to mull over this blunt, but very true statement of Lucy. The little goth was immediately reassured that she had not done anything wrong by a little head scratch from her big brother. The conundrum was real here. Staying behind could mean Toriel sealing the exit for good, and thus anihilating any chance to go back home. And going forward would mean having to face Toriel again, and more than potentially getting into another battle. And if there was one thing the Louds didn't need to see, it was a similar outcome to it.

"Well... we can try anyway." finally said Lola, twidling her thumbs. "I mean, if things get really bad, we can just do that Load thing, and try again, right ?"

"Supposing that it works again." reminded Lisa while scratching her chin. "Intense emotion seems to have been the fuel last time, or it could just be as simple as a Saving function. But we don't know that for sure. As such, no success probability chart can truly be drawn here."

"Yeah, but Toriel blowing up the door is kinda certain at this point." quipped Luan with a certain pun absence.

Lisa nodded. "Hmm, all too true, my dear substantial-incisored sibling."

Lynn scratched her head uncertainly. "So what, do we do a vote or something ? Who wants to go, and who wants to wait for a better plan ?"

"Well, that'd be a good start !" said Lincoln, enthusiastically snapping his fingers. Having everyone on the same page and behind the same idea would make things much less confusing for everybody. That was everyone's thought, except perahps... "Okay then Lori, throw in the vote !"

…

Lincoln's smile fell to confusion. For Lori not to immediately respond to a way of showing her leadership more than often involved her ear being glued to her phone, though the art of accomplishing tasks while talking in it without any interruption was an art without secrets for Lori Loud. But that simply could not be the case here.

Lincoln and the girls turned around to look at their oldest sister, who was facing the other direction. "Um, Lori ? Is everything alright ?" asked Lincoln with concern.

"..."

Leni pursed her lips, more confused than usual. She advanced closer to her sole big sister, and went to gently shake her shoulder. "Lori ? Are you taking a nap ? Like, it's not really the time for-"

" **AAH !** " audibly yelped Lori, backing away as if Leni's delicate hand was made of lava, or acid, or that weird sauce from Burpin' Burger nobody dared to touch. Upon seeing that it was not the case, Lori hugged her own midsection, and feebly spoke. "W-Were you saying something ? I-I was just thinking about * _hic*_ stuff."

The ten Louds all quietly gasped. Looking at their oldest sister, it was quite the sad performance they found themselves watching. Her eyes were red and puffy, indicating that she had been strongly crying, and that _after_ the Load had been initiated. Additionaly, her mascara was running all over her cheeks, which only highlighted the sadness of her eyes, which didn't even managed to focus on her siblings, instead quickly looking left and right par. Her body was overtaken with small spasms of pure paranoia, making her look like seeing a Whimsun would be enough to send her in a frenzied panic. Her teeth softly, but continuously chattered, and small distressed whines escaped her throat then and again.

 _Sorry_ wasn't doing the sight any justice. Lori had looked sorry before, like when she had been harshly mocked by mean classmates for her 'akward phase', completed with braces, weird voice, and zits. Or during her breakups, including the near one she had gotten from her Boo-boo Bear. But even when she had been at this point, there had still been some snark, some power in her tone, showing that there was still some of that in-control spirit Lori was known and, even if she could abuse it, loved for.

But here ? This... was no more than a trembling little shell, lacking any self-confidence, tough mind or down-to-earth nature.

Gone was every part of her 'standing up to the odds' mindset, of bouncing back from any panic attack stronger than ever, and of flooring it when things would seem to go awry, litteraly diving to salvage the odds from her family, or to take the stand _for_ her family. Never had Lori looked so small and frail, especially to the siblings from Leni to Lincoln, who had seen in Lori, during her most young ages, the precursor of fun, of excitement, of _Loud_.

It was only at this point that the siblings realized how much Lori had truly been hurt by Toriel's battle. She had already demonstrated it right afterwards, but she looked even worse now. Upon understanding that the Loading had erased Toriel's death, the girls and boy had felt their grief and sadness disappear, even if the memory of her demise would no doubt haunt their nights for weeks, even months to come. But Lori hadn't just seen the blows, she had been the one who dealt them, including the fatal one. Her own sorrow couldn't be simply washed away, not when it stood on opressingly humongous stilts of guilt.

Small parts of that guilt managed to rub off on them too, as they now realised they had been so absorbed in their own little conversation and fantasies, their poor big sister's suffering had gone right over their heads.

So no, _sorry-looking_ was no good description here. _Heart-piercing_ was more of what Lori's family was feeling inside their very SOULs at the moment.

"Oh, Lori." sadly whispered Lincoln, barely able to look at the jibbering mess that was his sister.

"Gosh, you look positively terrible !" said Lola, not even trying to sugarcoat it. But her sad tone meant all too clearly that this reflexion wasn't out of malice, but of concern.

"W-What are you talking about ? I'm f-f-fine." stuttered Lori, pitifully attempting to defend herself. Her attempt at a convincing smile miserably failed once she felt Lucy's presence, making her jolt even more than usual.

"Lies are a poison you certainly do not need right now." lectured the small goth, looking directly into the eyes of Lori's shrinking form. "Pain and sorrow are things I've studied, seen, and are now my credo. As such, do not think that I can't see what you're going through. You only render this more painful for both you and us."

"Yeah Lori, let Cleopatra be the greatest Queen of _Denile_ , hahaha !" cracked Luan, before softening her tone. "But seriously Lori, taking things with a smile is a thing, but trying to shove things under a smile, is just not right."

Lori didn't answer right away, only looking at the floor with a meek expression. "I'm sorry..."

Lynn decided to intervene, but not in her traditional way of doing so. She wasn't sure a harsh slap on the back would help here. "Look Lori, we don't blame you for what happened. It was an accident, we know that you would never do... _that_ on purpose You're not that kind of person."

A sob escaped Lori's throat, as fresh new tears began to fall down. The simple fact of being reminded of her horrendous action was enough to push even further in her well of funk. "But I've become that despicable person..." she quietly cried.

"No no no, that's not what I meant ! It's... urgh, I'm no good at this." relented Lynn dejectedly.

"You tried, and that's enough for us." said Luna as she patted her sister's head, making her feel a bit better.

"So... what do we do ?" asked Lincoln to the others with a certain urgency. "We clearly can't bring Lori along to Toriel, that could tear her apart, and leaving her alone is out of the question. But if we don't follow Toriel..."

"Then we'll have no chance of escaping the Ruins. And no chance of going home." finished Lucy matter-of-factly.

A moment of silence echoed around the room, only betrayed by Lori's apologizing whispers. All wanted to reassure the blonde, especially Leni, who desired nothing more than to envelop her big sis into one of her tender hugs. But after seeing what a simple hand on her shoulder had done to her nerves, too much of a hasty gesture could get Lori to lash out, maybe hurting somebody, and only filling her with more guilt and self-hatred.

But, as all looked at the dark corridor ahead of themselves, the Louds knew the stakes were presenting themselves high, with many variations and new elements that they still scarcely understood. Only one variable was certain here : Time was of the essence, in more ways than one. As such, a decision was reached.

"We can't let Toriel destroy the exit. We have to stop her now." rationalized Lincoln determinedly. Then, his tone wavered as he turned back to Lori. "But someone have to stay behind to take care of Lori."

"Is it truly wise ?" asked Lisa with emotion that was becoming more and more of a common thing since their arrival underground. The little genius didn't even need to tap in her vast knowledge to see how fragile her big sister's mind was.

"We really don't have much of a choice." reminded the white-haired boy. Some complaints were about to be raised, but the firmness in his voice made all sisters quiet down.

"Heh, as much as I'd like to say otherwise, you're right bro." dryly chuckled Luna. She sighed, and softly approached Lori. "Sorry sis, but... you're gonna have to sit this one out."

At this point, the girls and boy expected, even hoped for Lori to recoil from this suggestion, refusing to let her siblings advance to danger without her, and firmly insisting to come, showing anger and spite, but also strength and energy. But instead ? The blonde kept her eyes on the ground as she leaned against the wall, and let herself slid to the ground with a small plop. There wasn't even shock in her eyes, as if she expected to be kept away from the fight, _tossed away even_.

Despite her heartache at this sorry scene, Luna kindly smiled to Lori. "Thank you. We won't be long, cross both of my hearts."

Lori didn't answer, neither did she move, only looking at her knees with the most tired yet sorrowful eyes the siblings had ever seen.

"So, who wants to... who does stay with her ?" sadly probbed Lola.

"Well, we're gonna need as much brains and wits as we can to get Goat Mom to relent from making one big mistake. Only one of us can stay behind, and it's gotta be the right one." planned out Lynn with authority.

"I-I could do it." proposed Leni hopefully, but lost her smile when she saw Lynn shake her head.

"Sorry Leni, it's not that you lack tenderness, but we need your good vibes to soothe Toriel down. And, you know, if you were to say something wrong by mistake... I know it wouldn't be your fault, but we can't let that happen unsupervised."

Leni sighed, but nodded. "I understand. I guess I'll be more helpful with everyone with me. Team effort, and all that, like in the movies." she said with a small smile, shared by her grateful sister.

"Okay, then who will- huh ?" began Luan, interrupted by a tug on her square-patterned skirt, one that she knew all too well. Indeed, it was Lily's tubby little hand who was sending the signal, with the toddler looking like she had something important to say. As such, Luan immediately took her in her arms. "You got something on your mind, Lilster ?"

"Ababa !" nodded Lily, pointing at herself. The baby translator immediately understood.

"What ? You want to be the one staying with Lori ?" translated Luan, to which Lily firmly nodded.

"Are you sure Lily ? It's a pretty big task, and you'll be left all alone." explained Lincoln, understandably concerned for his youngest sister.

But like her big sisters and brother, Lily was no quitter. "Gladglababltrxzzz !" she babbled energetically, wildly moving her little body.

"She says, ' _Lori needs an innocent ear to listen to her, and I'm the baby for the job ! Besides, I really don't handle flames very well._ '" translated the braceful jester.

"You have a point there. But Lily, are you 100% sure you wanna handle this important mission ?" asked Lincoln with both seriousness and concern.

Lily pursed her lips, and gave sad eyes. "Poo-poo ?"

"' _Don't you trust me ?_ '"

Lincoln was surprised for a moment. But a smile quickly found its way onto his features. He turned to her sisters, and found the same smile drawing itself on their faces as well, with a couple of thumbs ups in the midst. Looks like there wouldn't be need for a vote after all.

Lincoln turned to Lily, and nodded. "Alright then, it's all on you sis. We're putting our trust in you, will you do it justice ?"

"Gaga !" Lily confidently blabbered, doing a little 'Attention !' pose by moving her hand onto her forehead. The cuteness of the action elected a few chuckles and "awws" from her older siblings, including Lincoln.

"Alright then, Private Lily. Keep an eye on General Lori until we come back, but don't hesitate to call for help if something goes wrong. We'll be there in a flash."

"Believe me, Charles trained me for a change, and now I can hear Izzy moving across the garden, so I'll hear ya !" quipped Lana, scratching her ear in a way indicating that Charles had taught her more than that.

Lincoln chuckled some more, and patted Lily's little head. "Stay safe, alright ? Good luck, and remember, we're never far, and we love you." soothed the brother as he gave her a little kiss on the forehead. The sisters gave their own encouraging hugs and kisses to the baby, who giggled and gave them back as much as she could.

With that, the girls and boy gave one more wave to both the happy blonde and the sad one, only one of them noticing the wave, and departed down the corridor. After making sure they were gone, Lily went to sit next to her sister, scooting close enough for her presence to be felt, but not enough to touch her. Looking up, she could see the silent pain and crying her big sister was going through, one that Lily could not tell how long it would last before a breach could open. Perhaps minutes, perhaps hours.

But Lily knew her duty. She could not play demanding baby on this one. She had to draw in her own **Patience**.

* * *

"I don't like what we just did. It's against the rules we've fixed, and it just plain stinks." admitted Lana with hands in her pockets, as the Loud group, now short of two members, kept advancing further down the hallway.

Lincoln patted Lana's cap in a consoling way. "You're not alone on this. But sometimes, rules have to be bended. And if we want to ever see Mom, Dad, and everyone else again, we can't stop."

Lana wiped a tear away, and forced in a small grin. "Gotta keep moving on. Feels right for some reason."

"Having cockroaches creeping all around your body feels right to you too, so hard to know what doesn't." joked Lola, electing a complice smirk from her twin.

"Putting on paste on your lips all the time. It's not like it even tastes good."

"Yeah, I tried it, and my lipstick doesn't taste anything like cassis !" piped in Leni. Giggles echoed around as a bit of much needed levity wormed its way into the Louds' hearts and SOULs. Seriousness came back all too soon however, as Toriel came into view, with her back once again facing them.

Lynn was the one to find her courage first, took a breather, and spoke with calm passion. "Goat Mom, we're gonna say it one more time. What you're doing here just ain't gonna end right. It's not right to begin with."

Toriel noticed the oddness the start of the sportive brunette's sentence was, but quickly brushed it aside to concentrate on an all-too familiar speech. "I am doing this to protect you. To do what I should have done when the others asked me the same question."

"The six youths that fell down the mountain before us, correct ?" questionned Lisa.

"Ah, so you already know that you are not the first ones here. Well, just like you, I took them in, but each time, the same old song played out. They came. They stayed. They left." Her tone turned icy. " _ **They died.**_ "

"You... don't say." mumbled Lucy with a little chill passing down _her_ spine for once. Strangely, this one concept of death wasn't sitting right with the young Goth.

"You think that the monsters outside of those Ruins will be as easily swayed than the ones you've encountered here ? _Ha._ This naivety will only get you hurt, I'm afraid. The world outside is not fit for you children, as it is one where they... **ASGORE**... will kill you without the slightest of hesitations."

"Yeah but, _who_ is that 'ASGORE' ?" Luna probbed for answers.

Toriel's features tightened into an angry scowl, with a quiet wrath that the Louds had not yet seen in their Guardian's features. "A despicable person. And a coward. All in all, someone that you shall never get to meet. Especially not the youngest amongst you, that... wait, I do not hear Lily anymore. Why has she fallen so quiet ?"

"Oh, don't worry, we've just left her with Lori a bit back down, to look after her. As in, Lily is looking over Lori, who's not... feeling very well." said Lincoln perkylessly, scratching the back of his hair.

"Oh, I see. Is she... going to be alright ?" asked Toriel, unable to fight the motherly concern taking over her at the mention of a youth having a hard time.

"Yeah, we think so. Lori's always been able to bounce back on her feet, and not just in _Spring_ , hehe." cracked Luan almost politely. Then, her face brightened up, as did her mind with the lightbulb of an idea. "You know, if you're really worried, we can always go back to see them. I'm sure all Lori needs is a little loving prescription from the Doc- _Toriel_ , hahahaha ! Get it ? Accept it ? Come with us ?"

Both the pun's low-key humour and the thought of a distressed Lori made Toriel pause for an instant, actually starting to reconsider what she was doing. But it didn't last long, as her mindset resteeled itself. If she truly wanted to protect those kids, she had to carry on her mission to its very end.

"Once I have sealed this exit, we'll have as many time as we desire to discuss those problems." she firmly stated. "Now once again, I'm telling you, _go to your room, all of you._ "

And once again, she walked away. The Louds sighed in heavy disappointement.

"Man, for just a second, the dream could've been true !" emphasized Luna, tightening her hands into frustrated fists.

"Yeah, in the end, we've made zero progress." pouted Lola with a huff, before a blue gleam appreared in her eyes. "But... that was only the first score. We've still got rounds to go."

"Yeah. Yeah ! We've got some points behind, but there's still minutes in the timer !" cheered Lynn.

"Yay ! The heel might have broken, but we still have some glue !" chirped Leni. Her statement got her some odd stares, and she sheepishly shrugged. "I didn't have a good analogy."

Lincoln grinned and brought his arm up in a rallying motion. "Alright then, let's make those images come true, and get our Goat Mom victory !" Cheers and eight arms of varying sizes joined his, and the Louds advanced, following their Guardian to the hall's corner.

"Go to your room this instant. This will be your last warning." ordered Toriel sternly. But there was an odd sense of acceptation, almost as if she knew her warning would not be heard.

"Come back with us to talk. This is still our demand, Goat Mom." said Lincoln, mirroring her statement.

Toriel sighed, and went on. The Louds followed her, of course, and tightened their formation, furthering their determination to keep going all around, until finally, they reached the dreaded place.

Toriel stood on the exact same spot. The spot from where she had attacked them. Where she had _fallen down into dust_. And just like last time, her words were the same. Well, almost.

"The path behind you is not yet closed, children. Please, go join your sisters. Do what's right, what has to be."

Luna calmly shook her head. "They aren't liking it anymore than us. This ain't the way to go, Tori."

"Please, Goat Mom. Don't do what you're about to do. It's not nice, and it's not you." begged Leni, her hands clasped into a praying motion.

"You can't just hope for things to be the same after that, especially if you destroy our way home. We... I can't start to imagine having to not like you. And I don't want to either." replied Lynn, crossing her arms.

"Open those gates. Both the ones in front of you, and those inside you." preached Lucy.

"Wiser words could not have been spoken. Hear and contemplate them, Goat Mother." acquiesced Lisa with a serious expression.

"We won't go back to our rooms ! Not without you..." demanded Lola firmly.

"We'll gladly take another piece of pie, even if it's our last one. Just... don't be dumb about this. Do what's _really_ right." enjoined Lana, squeezing the hand of her twin.

"We told many jokes to eachother. But this is one act that shouldn't be in the main show, at all." stressed Luan with seriousness underlying passion, one she had got to know from a certain friend of hers.

Lincoln puffed his chest, and advanced a little. His tone breathed of the confidence his sisters were giving him, and of the promise he had made to a certain voice he hadn't heard for a little while. "Well, you've heard our call. You know how we feel, and you know what we want. And that's going forward, going home. We have all the problem-solving potential to deal with monsters, one way or another. We have your teachings for clay, our own skills to give it form, and our will to vizualise it. We'd prefer to do this with you, but if you truly refuse, then we'll still go on. Because _that's_ what's right. And we hope that you know that too." Lincoln inhaled, and exhaled, both anxious and impatient for an answer. "So... what do you decide ?"

Toriel put a paw on the door, and somberly closed her eyes. A small part of her truly wanted to believe that to be true, that they would be okay on their journey. But the rest of her knew this was either too much of a risk to take, or that her _teachings_ could not be used to the very end, if they truly desired to go home. And that wouldn't be their fault, nor _**his**_...

"...You truly aren't going to change your mind, are you ? You cannot simply be happy with what you have ?" murmured Toriel with grim acceptance. "In the end, you are just like the others."

"W-We don't want to hurt you like this. But we just gotta move forward !" insisted Lynn as she whipped her arm and slammed her foot down, making the sound echo around the room.

"Do you truly believe it then ? That you'll be able to move without fear ? That I myself, should not be afraid either ?" dryly responded Toriel, straightening herself up.

"YES." simply answered the Louds in unison, as was their will. If only their two missing members had been there, the passion would have felt whole.

Things were now clear to Toriel. She was about to be unheard once again. But, this was her last chance for her own desire to have a meaningful impact. No more child would meet death, none that she could prevent from going down its road. "Very well then." she murmured with a trembling breath, as her hands fell to her sides.

"Uh-oh..." cringed Lisa, as all knew exactly what was about to unfold.

"Prove to me that I'm wrong." she pressed on, turning around as her paws began to light up with orange flames. "Prove to me that you have what it takes to survive out there. **Prove to me that you will not-** " She halted herself as she saw the apprehension in the children's faces. And that was it, only apprehension, without any shock or surprise. Toriel's tone became a bit suspicious. "Children, why do you look at me as though you have witnessed this before ? Is there something you are not telling me ?"

The Loud kids blinked in slight shock, then looked at eachother with solemn expressions. "We told you, Tori. It's not the way to go." reiterated Luna almost omniously, not quite wanting to go into details that she herself wasn't even too sure of.

Toriel stood unsure for a moment, trying to decipher what that could mean. But she pushed those thoughts aside. "Whatever it is, it matters not. Until you have proven yourselves worthy, I will NOT allow you to go !"

Flames appeared on the walls, embers danced in the air, and a heap of colourful hearts appeared, with only one colour missing. And once again, the kids' shock was replaced with only disappointement and grim nostalgia, yet keeping a willful look.

 **Critical Battle Engaged !**

{ _Undertale – Heartache, either OST or Orchestral_ }

* _"Toriel blocks the way... again."_

"It begins. But not exactly like last time." rationalized Lincoln as he created a human circle, his tone hopeful. "Girls, I think we can do this."

"Alright, but we have to proceed with caution and using our new knowledge." lectured Lisa. "None of the arguments we used in our first battle had any positive effect. It costs me to admit it, but I think my attempt actually worsened the situation."

"Well, there are things we still haven't tried. So for now, let's keep throwing in ideas until we reach a nerve, or just come up with a better strategy." proposed Lynn.

"Ah, the 'write, crumple, and basket' strategy." resumed Luna knowingly, seeing how this was her usual method to write her own songs. Right along the 'Blast the amps, and see which tune makes windows rattle the most harmonically' technique. "That sounds good, but let's not forget that we don't have infinite tries. This fight ain't pleasant, and neither is getting pelted by fireballs."

"Let's get this show on the road then !" said Lana, exchanging a collective high-five with her sisters and brother.

It was Lynn who decided to go first. After looking at the cursed option that was FIGHT, an idea popped up inside her head. She reached for the ACT button and pressed on her new option, _Compromise_.

"Goat Mom, how about we tweak the rules a little ? I'm usually up for some rumble, but this isn't really my cup of protein shake. So instead, why don't we get to prove our 'strength' some other way ? Parkour, intense training, making sure we're 'ready for the outside', as you like to put it." Lynn chuckled nervously, even more so upon seeing Toriel's cold eyes still looking through her. "Um, we can even prove our strength against Dummies, giving them the old one-two, and some kicks, and some holds, like the one where you press your thumbs against the exact middle of someone's spine. This one's a killer."

"I can vouch for that. Three months ago, and I can still feel it." groaned Lincoln as he nursed the reawakened knot down his back.

"So, how about it ? Let us make you see we're ready in some other way than to... fight you until..." Lynn ended it there, unwilling to just think of the end of this sentence. That old Froggit hadn't lied, finding out was truly awful.

Unwillingness was also of Toriel's mood at the moment. The Goat Woman simply shook her head sternly. "It will not prove what I need to be assured of. This is the only way that I know you'll be alright, that your SOULs won't be taken."

"What about dodging and running ? Maybe that could help us survive." insisted Lynn rather... _ironically_.

"Against many monsters, perhaps, yes. But it won't be of any use against _**ASGORE**_. And it's a fight you can't avoid, no matter what. None managed to before you..." imposed Toriel, her voice trailing down at the end with a pronounced hint of regret. She remembered every smile... Her eyes regained flare soon enough. "If your desire is not to fight, then go back to your room !"

She mirrored that statement by delivering her 'Sweeping Paw' attack, the flames brightening with the same menacing blaze. Now, with Lori plus Lily in her arms being both absent, there was a little more floor for the children to dodge without walking all over eachother. But the attack still managed to connect, inflicting its fire bites onto Lynn's abdomen, Luna's left hand, and Lisa's back. The trio expressed their pains in different ways, mainly throug hissing and cursing under their breaths, with Luna going pure British, while Lisa chose a more international way of doing so. Still, all three felt the urgent need for both an ice pack, and a good bar of soap.

* _"Old ways die hard... Many apologies for how I constructed this sentence."_

As the attack ended, Leni felt her brow tighten, fearing for a minute to be wrinkles of stress, before realizing it was her own anger taking over. As sweet as Leni was, even she had a point where she needed to stand her ground. And now, the blonde knew it was time to show Toriel that she meant serious business. So, shoving all her concerns aside, Leni moved to the ACT Button, and chose an option that surprised her fellow siblings, _Reprimand_.

"You know, I was actually going to make you the totes cutest sweater before we go, so you'd always have, like, a warm hug reminding you of us all the time. But now, I'm not sure you deserve it at all. Because the Best Goat Mom who's worthy of that sweater wouldn't do such mean things for such weird reasons." harumphed Leni, as she turned around glowering and her arms crossed under her chest. The sharp edge of this declaration certainly managed to shock her sibs even futher, who knew that while she could claw and bite like the rest of them, badmouthing was certainly an usual thing to see around the sweet ditzy teenager.

But even so, Leni showed a little weakness, as she couldn't resist trying to get a peek from Goat Mom's reaction, all the while looking afflicted by her own words. For an instant, a certain pain was found marking Toriel's face, highering the kids' hopes for a breakthrough. But the curtain of indifference quickly fell down again, pushed even further by Toriel's strict, yet determined tone.

"Such a shame. A sweater from you would've been lovely, my child. But if never seeing this piece of art means keeping you safe, then I'll gladly take that loss."

Leni felt conflicted on that statement. Yes, not confused, _conflicted_. She felt a bit sheepish over Toriel calling her work a lovely piece of art, and actually felt pride over Toriel valuing her and her skills so much. But at the same time, Leni felt the sting of failiure, and not from a 'Getting another _F_ ' mosquito, but from a 'Getting told to your face that you'll never amount to anything' bumblebee. This sting also became physical once the 'Double Serpentine attack' hit her right hip, alongside the back of Lucy's head, and Lola's right shoulder. The teen could only look at the ground sadly, wondering if she should've just shut her trap... whatever it meant.

* _"Toriel's ideas will not flinch under a sweater's warm power. But was she always this way ?.."_

Lincoln pressed a hand against his head as a strange sense of melancholia hit him. He tried reaching for what could be the culprit, but once again, the voice wouldn't speak when the situation didn't call for it, or when it felt like it.

In the Loud ranks, the pressure was starting to come back, as well as the suffocating heat. In other words, they were not amused by this developpement. And that fact got one punny teenager to realise one of the most important rules in the joke book. When it comes to jokes, short and sweet is best. Always leave your audience the time to breathe, and don't try to squeeze in a theme too hard, change your subject. However, at this point, even by not counting their previous fight, Luan could tell that the joke was in desperate need of an end. Putting a hand past the sapphire blue representation of her being and onto her trademark squirt flower, an idea _blossomed_ inside the comedian's mind. One that kinda went against her normal schtick.

Her own ACTion appeared, _**Truth**_. Luan pressed it, and went to stand closer to Toriel, akwardly rubbing her sweat-covered neck.

"So, Goat Mom. You know how I'm usually the joker, silly as a buzzer button, always _bleating_ around the bush, hahaha... ha." she sighed, but kept her composure. "But right now, I'm not fooling around. So I know this will come off as a little crazy, especially coming from me, but this is the actual truth, one hundred percent jokeless."

Toriel arched her brow ever so slightly, but it was enough for Luan to know that she had her attention. Her siblings on the other hand, didn't look unimpacted at all.

"Luan, what the heck are you doing ?!" yell-whispered Lola.

With a small half-confident smile, Luan couldn't help but crack, "Being forward for once in my life, so we don't have to rewind."

"Bad pun aside, are you sure of your move right now ?" asked Luan's roommate with great doubt. But Luna knew, by looking into her younger sister's eyes, that she had cemented a plan. And to deviate Luan from a plan of hers was no easy task, especially about either serious matters, or for her prank of the day. The rocker thus quickly relented with a headshake and a sigh. "Welp, off you go then."

Luan nodded, and turned back to her fire-wielding listener. "Alright, so you were asking _why_ we look like we have seen this before, why we look downright unshocked by those events. Well the truth is... we've already lived those moments." Toriel looked a little perplex, but kept silent, allowing the she-jester to continue. "Your warnings, this battle, you not wanting to back up from your position, we've seen them all. I mean, some things were different, our convincing, while still talking, was different, and Lori and Lily were there. Heh, and the reason why they're absent right now goes with how the fight ended. You rolled your furred knuckles onto Lori's buttons, especially by hitting Lily by accident, and she ended up attacking you, delivering blow after blow, until... there wasn't any target left to attack."

Images of precious memories and fond comedies/puns/jokes flooded the young clown's mind to prevent another kind of flooding, more physical. Fortunately, the rubber fibers of her comedic being held on tight, and she proceeded.

"Then, as everything was going down the nonexisting drain, there was a big flash, and we all got teleported back upstairs. Apparently, through those Save Points we've told you about and the force of our _will_ , we managed to turn back the clock, _no. joking._ I mean, I don't even like science-fiction, but this is one crazy move I have to believe, because I just lived it ! And now, Lori's stuck in the corridor with Lily, too riddled with guilt to move or look any of us in the eye, and we're reliving what's basically the prelude of the worst moment of our lives. And that's counting my 12th birthday ! So please, believe us when we tell you there is no good end to this story. The plot is full of holes, the out of character factor is off the charts, the execution hurts everyone one way or another, and the rewatch desire, especially the ending, is a big no-no !"

Luan turned a sad gaze in the direction of a little crack on the left wall's bottom, oddly looking like a little smiling face. And even oddier, this actually made Luan feel a little better, and pressed her to finish her thought. "If there's one way I can see this tale being saved, it's an alternate ending. And right now, I really wouldn't mind seeing it, that sad yet happy ending. What do you say, dear _goat-_ teller ?"

The flames' creaking was the only thing that would be heard in the moments that followed. The siblings were stunned by this serious rant provided by their usually so silly sister, but at the same time admired her bout of bravery, of standing for her ideals in quite the **original** way for her. As for Toriel, she stood quite bewildered by what she had just heard. Monster magic did draw its power from will, as did the traits of the Human SOULs. A certain wall of magic had reminded her that fact enough, and to all monsters in the Underground as well. But the power to go back in time ? What lunacy, or rather _luancy_ , was this child going on about ?!

In the depths of her mind however, Toriel could not shake off a strange feeling. Some parts of this fight felt... quite familiar. The children's begging to end this confrontation felt like déja-vu, the kids seemed to understand her attacks despite having never used them or even told them about, and Lori and Lily being absent bothered her even more than it should have, as if them not being here made this picture incomplete. Could this fantasy have more than a lick of truth ? Could she believe in it ? Toriel was very unsure of that.

But then, Toriel took another good look at those children before her, highlighted by a particularly bright flame shining over them. While she should've seen the anxiety plaguing their faces, Toriel instead read in them the tales they had shared during those six wonderful days. Those that made her feel that hope was possible again, and that solitude would be of her daily life no more. But of course, nobody listened to her prayers. Nobody _ever_ listened to Toriel.

The woman reitarated the question to herself. Could she _allow herself_ to believe in that tale ? No, she could not. She _would_ not. Because this time, _she **would** be heard_.

"I appreciate imagination in a youth, my child, but I'm afraid I cannot allow myself to be carried away by this imaginary bout, as the dangers that await you beyond this point are anything but imaginary. Do you understand ?" demanded Toriel with upmost seriousness. She arranged her hands for her next magic attack. "As for an 'alternate ending', there is the one that favour your own safety, and that I've been offering you since the beginning. Which means, _go back upstairs !_ "

With that, Toriel attacked, throwing in her continuous Streams of Fire. The swaying blazing lines managed to hit, 'conviniently' enough, all the Louds hadn't been hit yet, with Luan taking the blow right above her knees, leaving a mark into the bottom of her skirt. The comedienne couldn't help but chuckle at the funny thought edging her mind, as she softly murmured it to herself as a couple of tears descended her cheeks.

"I know they say ' _Liar, liar, pants on fire_ ', but it looks like I wasn't dressed for that job, hehe."

* _"Toriel simply won't stop acting aloof."_

But Luan had no time to mope about their situation, as she felt the shadow of hands reaching for her. She turned around to see all of her siblings with sad but supportive smiles, and that quickly got her to grin too. Luan gratefully took the hands, stood up, and was immediately shrouded in a round of pats on the back and shoulders, completed by a little hug from her tune-loving roommate.

{ _The music quiets down, becoming almost background-like_ }

Lana sighed sadly. "Now what ? Straight out telling the truth didn't change anything ! I thought that truth was supposed to be golden or something." she grumbled irritatedly.

"Actually, silence is, and speech is silver." corrected Lisa.

"Hail to that. But Lana's right. Despite Luan's deep words, the situation remains as bleak as the corridor behind us." recited Lucy, sounding clearly more down in the dumps than usual. " _Sigh._ Is fate truly inexorable ? It seems that this power was only a curse in disguise. Everything can become wrong in the blink of an eye."

"Luce, this is no time to go 'Philosophical Undertaker' !" chatised Lynn, as she flickered the black-haired girl's forehead. Of course, she barely received any reaction other than a small "ow". Lynn then dragged her hands down her cheeks with frustration. "Urgh, this plan is getting us nowhere, and we're starting to get into oven territory, or July heatwave ! If this thing really 'works like a game', then maybe there's something we're missing here. Right, Lincs ? Isn't that how you get around your puzzles in your RPwhatsit ?"

The sole brother rolled his eyes at Lynn's ignorance over such a simple abbreviation, and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I guess so. This... could be compared to a Boss Battle."

"So what, do we get _fired_ or something ? Luan, why are you laughing so hard ?" naively asked Leni as she watched her sister basically losing it on the ground.

"No Leni, a _Boss_ is a big enemy. You usually find them at the end of a level, and you need to beat them to progress. And we are at the end of the Ruins, so it kinda makes sense, but we _don't_ want to beat Toriel up. And the 'gameplay' shouldn't allow it."

Lola tilted her head at Lincoln's airquotes. "You're completely losing me here."

"We have a way to move past fights without having to rumble." explained Lincoln, pointing at both the ACT and MERCY buttons. "If that's the case, then it means there _has_ to be a way to do the same with a boss, namely Toriel. But if the normal way doesn't work, that means we must use a special way, something we haven't done before."

"But how do we do that, bro ?" questionned Luna, starting to see the reasoning behind this.

Lincoln tapped his two indexes on his chin like a well-oiled metronome. "There's usually two ways to get it right. Either we need something specific, like an item or a code of some sorts, or there was a clue on how to do this before. Going back isn't looking of an option for our freedom, so I guess the best thing we can do is rattle our brains, and see if we can remember this one golden little tip."

"This is starting to sound like school, and I don't like it." complained Lucy, remembering the incessant mingling that school implied. If not for her friends from the Morticians Club and a certain red-haired boy, Lucy would've put curses all over the school to make it close. Or at least give it a little life, with the help of beings that don't have any.

The brainstorming was thus in session, with the kids going over every moment that they had spent in the Underground. From their fights to Toriel's scrumptious meals, by way of their trips to Home, all the monsters they had talked to, all the books and signs they had read. Even going so far as to remember their terrifying first encounter with a monster. Noises of heads being scratched echoed right along the static embers, Lana doing so with her foot.

Toriel did not try to obstrute their attempt, leaving them at least the choice of their actions. She could only hope that they'd see reason soon enough...

After a full minute, Lincoln could start to feel a slight brain cramp coming up, and decided to go around the table. "Alright, anyone's got any clue on what to do ?"

Luan shook her head sadly. "No, the only thing that keeps coming back is * _snort_ * Loox's _name_. I'm sorry, but I just can't move past that one !"

"And all I can think of are all those nice _Froggits_ we've seen." chimed in Lana rather joyfully. "Yersteday, I even found one that was the size of an ant. He was one strong little guy too, able to lift my entire sneaker in the air !"

"And, um... I remember that... Lily almost ate a _yellow_ crayon, and I tried to taste it ?" tried Leni hesitantly.

Lisa dismissively wagged her index. "While your gagging face was a humourous sight, I do _not_ think this information truly add _matter_ to our conundrum, and... the time is..."

The little genius' sentence ended there, as pure reflexion appeared over her features. This change was quickly duplicated on Lincoln's own face, with words almost appearing before their eyes, as the other sisters could only watch the duo with curiosity.

' _Froggit... not... matter... yellow... name..._ ' were those five crucial words. It was now only a matter of putting them the right way, and... ' _Froggit... yellow name... not matter... does not matter..._ ' Two young pair of eyes widened.'The yellow name does not matter !'

[ _Flashback..._ ]

" _Knowing that_ Sparing _is an action, and not a lack of action, is the key to avoid conflict. Who knows ?_ _ **Maybe at some point, you'll have to**_ **Spare** _ **someone whose name**_ **isn't** _ **yellow.**_ **"**

[ _Flashback ends_ ]

"THAT'S IT !" exclaimed Lincoln, slapping a hand over his forehead.

"BRAIN BLAST- I mean, EUREKA !" yelled Lisa as well, partaking in her brother's excitement as they both looked at eachother with big smiles, while the others could only look more confused.

"So... you found something, dudes ?" quipped Luna.

"Not just something, my chaotically harmonic sister. We might've found our move towards a proper checkmate, and thus for a peaceful capitulation." lisped the bespectacled little brunette. "Brother, do we share the same thought ?"

Lincoln firmly nodded, brightly showing up his chipped tooth in his smile. "Yep. Just like I thought, we must do something special to get out of this one. And that something special is an action we've never used before."

"But ACT doesn't work ! Nothing gets Goat Mom to budge from her spot ! What else do you wanna try ?!" probbed Lynn, feeling a bit irritated by this new little mystery going on. But her irritation vanished as she saw the confidence emanating from his little crimson heart, the energy almost bouncing against her own orange one with a strange resonance, a feeling that wasn't lost by the others.

{ _Music comes back into focus !_ }

"Trust me, we didn't try that one yet." assured Lincoln. The boy then approached the set of buttons, and went for his attempt. But the ACT button remained untouched.

 _It was the MERCY button that Lincoln chose, followed by a white_ Spare _choice._

A weak, almost imperceptible wave of energy washed over the room, but didn't bounce off anything, especially not Toriel. The woman only blinked... before taking her turn with a 'Sweeping Paw' attack, which was evaded by all the Louds.

"Lincoln, what're you doing ?" hissed Lola a second time, both relieved to have dodged that attack and furious at Lincoln for wasting that turn. The narrator stayed silent this time around, as though curious of what was happening as much as the little princess.

"You'll see." simply replied Lincoln, swiftly repeating his _Sparing_ choice. Toriel once again didn't speak, and attacked with a nasty Streams of fire attack. Leni and Lucy took the attack, but managed to shake the pain off.

"Seriously bro, the button's not yellow ! Aren't you seeing how un-yellow it is ?!" scolded Lynn. Being free-spirited was something the athlete could respect, but even she knew that going solo strategy on the field could be the quickest way to ruin a game.

But Lincoln only kept smiling, clearly seeing something his sisters were not. "Oh trust me, I see that lack of yellow. And that's why I'm gonna keep pressing it."

And that he did, 'meaninglessly' _Sparing_ Toriel for the third time, only to still not get any reaction from the woman herself, and another Sweeping Paw, with Lisa taking one in the knee. But the little braniac still held a confident look, the complete contrary of her sisters, who decided to turn to her for an answer.

"Lis', we need an answer now." demanded Luna. "What's that stuff Lincoln and you found, and why does it involve him throwing our turns away ? I mean, I've got trust in our bro, but we're still in the dark here."

"And seeing the flames around us, that's saying something, hahaha !" chuckled Luan, getting her usual fill of groans.

Still grinning, Lisa tweaked her glasses, and gave her yapping sisters an explanation. "That is quite simple, dear sistren. We were looking for a clue in our past, and us two saw it in the wise words of a helpful batracian."

"Which one ? There were so many of them, and all with really funny names." said Lana, to which her twin sister lifted an eyebrow.

"I thought they were all named Froggit ?"

"Nah, they were just shy to give us their names the first time around. Like Senior Froggit, his name's actually René !"

Lisa interrupted the blooming conversation with a throat clearing. "Passing on this intricate, but nontheless unimportant fact given the present moment, the Froggit you are looking for was the one we encountered right after our first meeting with Moldsmals. We were given some details about the riping moment to allow Mercy onto our opponents and thus being able to clear out the battle."

"The yellow names, we know. That's not very _new_ info." pointed out Lucy, briefly spooking her little sister.

"Ah, but you must remember the full extent of the informations he gave us. When we acknowledged it, our serviceable monster acquiantance added that _Sparing_ was a way of showing, _meaning_ that we don't want to fight. And that one day..." A twinkle passed through her lenses. "...we might have to use it for someone whose name _isn't_ yellow."

A streak of illumination hit the seven girls, prompting gasps and wide-eyed stares all around. Their brother's strategy instantly became crystal clear. Luna even felt the need to add, "Holy... girls, remember what happened the _second_ we got that tip ? The phone rung, and the person who was calling was... blimey, that is timing !"

"Indeed it is." nodded Lisa, as she observed Lincoln going for another _Spare_. But instead of indifference on Goat Mom's face, a pinch of confusion appeared through the slight lowering of her steel-crafted brow, even as she attacked with another . "And I think we may be looking at the blooming fruits of that theory."

Toriel voicelessly launched a 'Double Serpentine Attack', a faster one this time. It managed to graze a couple more sisters, as well as Lincoln, right in the left leg. The boy winced, put a knee on the ground, but quickly found his way up on his noodles. And with a sweeping of his hand over his forehead to banish some sweat, he pressed _Spare_ once more.

And this time, it got Toriel to open up her mouth. "Child... what ever are you doing ?" she carefully asked.

"We've told you what we want and don't want to do here. Now, I'm showing it to you." maintained Lincoln, his red SOUL shining a little more brighter. Which may'd been the reason why a certain voice decided to chim in :

* _Well... looks like you've found an alternate way after all._

"And I'm gonna make it work." whispered Lincoln to himself, dodging the incoming Sweeping Paw attack.

"You know not what you're doing. Alone out there, you won't succeed." pressed Toriel authoritavely.

But unbeknown to her, those words echoed into the eight sisters' minds and SOULs. Their outline began to shine, quickly followed by an even stronger light from the center of their SOULs. A way of ending this battle, a way of proving Goat Mom their will had opened to them.

 _And they felt **determined** to make good use of it._

"He ain't alone." started Lynn, advancing to her brother's level, and hitting the MERCY button. Then she pressed _Spare_ , while giving a knowing grin to her lil' bro, and exchanging a small fist bump.

Toriel blinked in slight shock, and opened her mouth a little. "T-Those aren't the rules ! You must attack or run away ! There is no other way !" she insisted, while drawing in a Double Serpentine attack.

Lowering her head to let a whizzing fireball miss her, Luan was the next to _Spare_ Toriel, her big toothy smile right where it should be. "Yes, there is ! And that's the way we're showing you right now !"

Toriel shook her head, clear frustration starting to appear as she balanced her Streams of Fire, even more vehement than before. "What do you think you are showing that way ?! What do you think you are proving ?!"

"That we've got guts and the skills to survive on our way home !" said Lana, as she and her twin both pressed the _Spare_ option without the slightest of hesitations.

"Yeah c'mon Goat Mom, we're supposed to be the ones who have little focus here." added Lola.

The infuration in Toriel's features only grew, followed by a touch of melancholia. "Fight me or leave this room ! _Those_ are your two choices to survive !"

"You talk and attack, but that's not what rings true in our hearts." quipped Lucy, making a silent advance into the spotlight. She locked her mysterious gaze on Toriel, and pressed _Spare_. "I am not one to speak of hope, but do you truly think this a way to cope ? Of you we know there is better, so douse those nasty flames with fair water."

The fact that the children were seriously starting to doubt her felt so wrong to Toriel. And in her mind, that small part of her couldn't help but agree. As another Sweeping Paw was thrown over to the kids, Toriel looked on the side with a mix of anger and sadness. "Stop it. You're crossing the line." she simply mumbled.

"No way, no how, Tori. If anything's worth doing, it's worth overdoing." quoted Luna, joining in the evergrowing sibling band, and taking her cue on the _Spare_ encore.

"Stop this folly this instant." murmured the monster with increasing sorrow replacing anger in her voice. Why were they so persistent ?

"You've started this madness, Goat Mother. Only you can bring it to an end." sternly answered Lisa, quickly using her little legs to reach her siblings and the _Spare_ option.

At this point, Toriel had her vision completely turned away from the kids. From their stares both judging and so full of life. The one she was so desperate to protect. "Stop... stop looking at me that way." she ultimately whispered, not even bothering to attack.

"We can't look away. We can't do that to you. Because we love you very much, Goat Mom." said Leni with overwhelming kindness, as she joined the almost-complete Loud sibling bunch. She reached for the _Spare_ button, and reached out for the hands of her siblings, who quickly mimicked her actions, and quickly sealed their bond and determination for their Guardian to see.

And Toriel saw, she knew all too well those traits. She had seen them in almost all of the human children that had been under her care. Including a special one so long ago, and one she could almost feel... being present right now.

Toriel pressed a hand against her forehead. It seemed that her mind was truly drifting way. Senility, heatstroke, or her emotions overwhelming her, she hadn't the faintest clue, but this was something she could not allow herself to do, not while those children's lives were in her hands. The blazing around said hands reignated, stronger than ever. Her crimson eyes pierced through the Louds', who didn't back down one bit.

"Enough. That is _enough_ of all of you. You will respect what I am doing for you here, and you will answer my question with the two choices that I have given you, and _only_ them ! Now stop being difficult, _listen to me_ , and just let me **protect your lives !** "

Toriel's powerful command was accompanied with a Sweeping Paw from both fronts, and with flames picking up extra speed, and even bouncing off the walls. The nine kids each got their share of fire, and the attack actually managed to take 5 _HP_ away from them this time. They understood the message, Toriel was livid now, and it was not a pretty sight.

But angry she might be, she was still their lovable Goat Guardian acting aloof. With that in mind, the kids picked themselves up and off the ground, and looked ahead to their assaillant without the slightest shadow of fear. All at once, they defiantly pressed the button once more. They were going to _Spare_ the fur out of this monster, whether she liked it or not.

* _"Survive through the will, and overcome any obstacle in their way. Such is the way of the_ humans _."_

Lincoln decided to turn a deaf ear over the venom held in that last word, and awaited the next very flammable attack right alongside his sisters. But as he looked at each of them, he too felt this picture to be incomplete. Lori and Lily should be with them, showing their determination, maybe even managing to convince Toriel to give up this meaningless fight. But instead...

Lincoln took a peek at the dark corridor behind him, and could only wonder how those two were doing. Moreover, if there was any improvement to Lori's soul-crushing guilt trip.

 _They needed her leadership more than ever._

* * *

{ _Music pauses..._ }

Anyone who knew little Lily Loud knew that she was one active baby.

To her, moving wasn't as important as breathing, being fed, or... 'poo-poo', but it was a dang close fourth place. There was always something interesting popping up in the toddler's mind. What sound would make that pan if I hit it with this wooden spoon ? Or with a block ? Can I still reach my toes ? What smell would the grass have if I rolled into it ? Life was an adventure that was only put on hold when nap time came along. As such, staying steady wasn't one of Lily's passions.

But if there was a second thing that people knew about Lily, it was that she was very aware of her surroundings. She wasn't _always_ on point, sometimes eagerly smiling while her siblings were paralyzed with anxiety and fear. But she could tell when things were really bad, and knew when it was time to keep a low profile for the sake of her family.

And _this_ was one of those times, certainly the most important too. Lily had a mission, everybody was counting on her. She couldn't let boredom win, not while she had such an important role to fulfill.

Besides, it's not like Lily truly _**could**_ get bored here.

For twenty minutes straight, her sole focus had rested on Lori, only wavering a couple of times as she heard the yells of the ones she loved, and the sound of fire attacks being launched. And while it saddened her to still hear the battle dragging on, it was nothing compared to the absolute void of pain and sorrow that her big sister had become.

Lori's schedule of pity was tight and almost mechanic. For a full minute, she would stay deadly silent, not piping the slightest of murmurs, not making the tiniest of noises. Head in her knees, she had almost been looking like Auguste Rodin's lost work, _The Wallower._

Then, she would lift her head to noiselessly fix her empty gaze onto the wall in front of her. Lily had tried waving her hand right in front of her face, but without any result. And a few seconds later, her eyes would swell up with tears, and her face would meet her knees again, quietly sobbing and whimpering for a good dozen of seconds before falling silent once again.

Seeing her big sister in that state didn't sit well with Lily at all. But by reminiscing some wise words from her roommate, and from some of her other siblings, Lily felt all the more compelled to wait for Lori to come around. Most of her time had thus been spent looking at her without the slightest coo or babble, only putting her little pudgy hand on her leg to signal that she was indeed still next to her.

Her other hand rested on the little cyan heart in front of her, that had appeared a little after her siblings had left her here. The mere fact of touching it steeled Lily's will to keep steady, calm in those rough times. After all, that would be what her sister would do. They shared the same colour, that had to count for something. But Lori's SOUL wasn't looking any better than her owner, the strange dullness that coated it contrasting with the radiance of Lily's.

But after all this time, Lily's vision started to waver towards the ceiling. From what she understood, her home, as well as her mommy and daddy, were way up there. There was a possible exit, but Goat Mom, a woman who had been so kind and nice, didn't want to let them go. Then... she died. And now, she was alive again, but still unwilling to let them go, because someone very mean wanted to kill them and take their SOULs.

Lily could only wonder. When had things gotten so complicated ? Was this how things were going to be now ? Were naps going to be the least of her worries, knowing that she'd have to _fear for her life_ every step ahead ?

Lily shook her little head. Those were thoughts she didn't want to understand. But here she was, sitting next to guilt-ridden oldest sister, wondering when she'd ever hear the sound of her bossy, but loving voice, or even _if_ she'd hear it again.

"You shouldn't be here..."

Lily's body immediately straightened up, leaving the tot surprised that something else than her pale-skinned big sister had startled her. But she knew that the perpetrator was still inside the family circle, and turned her vision back on Lori, who hadn't moved a muscle.

"Ah ?" cooed Lily, tilting her head questioningly.

"You shouldn't be here, with me. You'd be way safer with the others." mumbled Lori with more tiredness in her voice than Lily had ever heard her sporting, even accounting the times where she had woken her little sister up before getting her morning shower and coffee. The taller blonde shuffled her head deeper into her knees. "I'm a bad person, Lily, and you shouldn't be around me. Just go to them. Leave me alone like the bad person I am."

Lily didn't answer, nor did she move or obey. Her only action was to tilt her head even more questioningly. Lori wasn't pleased by that.

"Did you not hear me ? I told you to get away from me. Go away." said Lori with a rougher tone, hoping that getting brusque would get her baby sister to obey.

But it was the exact opposite that happened, as Lily recognized that tone. It was the same one that Toriel had been using, the one that indicated that she wasn't being herself, and being all dumb. As such, Lily outright refused her big sister's orders, crossing her arms and shaking her head with a fierce "Uh-uh !".

A small growl escaped Lori's throat, as her voice morphed into a quiet, slowly incresing snarl. "I'm not feeling good about anything right now, and you're not making things any better by being here. So now, _just listen to me, and **get the hell-**_ " Lori immediately smacked a hand over her mouth, knowing that she had almost sworn in front of her baby sister. Her guilt level was quick to rise once again, and her head crashed back in her knees. "See ? I almost yelled at you. I know you're trying to be nice, but I litteraly don't deserve that treatement. Just go..."

"Lo'i..." slowly said Lily, with an undertone that could clearly be translated as " _Please tell me what's wrong..._ ". Lori didn't budge to the request, but when she felt Lily snuggling and rubbing her head against her arm, she felt herself beginning to relent. And when she saw those small curious, but worried eyes, Lori knew she truly had no choice, and gave a deep sigh of pure melancholia.

"It's a long story, a complicated one too. This goes well beyond the _atrocious_ act I pulled back then. Or, forward then, or whatever Lincoln calls it. Are you sure you wanna get involved in this ?" indulged Lori with a heavy-hearted tone. Lily didn't miss a beat, and waddled over to sit herself in front of Lori. She gave her big sister's legs a few taps with her hands to signal that she was down for this tale. Lori chuckled hollowly, "Of course you would. Alright then." She took a deep breath, and began her story.

"The reason why I'm regretting this is not just for what I did – although it's already pretty bad by itself – but also _why_ I did it. You may be thinking that I attacked because she was attacking us, relentlessly assaulting my little siblings ? Heh, I wish. The fight was a good load of sparks, but the powder barrel had been there for way longer than that. Seeing you getting smacked in the face was the matchstick that managed to set that gunpowder ablaze, leading to... you know what." she sighed, pausing to let the horrific image of Toriel's demise go away once more. "But even then... I didn't do it for you, for the sibs, or even because of Toriel. I did it for the only person that I apparently care about more than anything else in existence. _**Me.**_ "

This single word managed to make the room's general atmosphere feel even heavier. But Lily kept gazing at her big sister, knowing that this was merely a prologue.

"Yep. That's the real, whole reason I did this. Not out of sibling love, or anger towards her attitude. I just threw a _pathetic_ , egomaniac fit, acting like the pompous brat that I am, and _struck her down just because I felt butthurt about not being the sibling leader, that I have actually ceased to be **for a long time now !**_ " yelled Lori thunderingly. She did not care one bit about the amouts of pain her clawing hands was sending through her legs, her nails pratically digging through her skin. In fact, she deserved that. Hundreds of times worse for sure ! _Thousands even !_

However, Lily intervened with a worried coo, not wanting to witness her sister punishing herself. It seemed to work, as Lori's hands slowly released their vice grip, and proceeded with her story.

"You know... I remember when it wasn't like that. When I first tried that leader gig." the blonde softly said, the happy reminiscing easying up her pain, if just a bit. "I was seven, barely taller than Lana and Lola. Already, our house was a mess, our old house I mean. What could you do ? Luna wasn't anything like her present self, and Luan wasn't yet an expert prankster, but I can tell you, things were already quite lively with five girls and one baby boy, all full of energy. Luna and Luan were pretty creative in finding ways to entertain themselves. Leni was sweet, but she had the logic thinking of the walls she was constantly running into. Lynn was one busy bee, already kicking balls in every room of the house. And Lincoln... well, he was kinda like you. With more popping up in unexpected places, and less 'poo-poo' incidents.

"So, as long as the sun shone bright in the sky, the house was in near constant chaos. I mean, there weren't as many girls as there are today, but there was also no elder siblings to regulate the mayhem. All we had were Mom and Dad, with ten less years of experience and barely anyone to help them. So, as you can guess, they were pretty much overwhelmed, especially since they had to keep working in shifts, both to have the money to feed six kids, and to have at least one to watch over us. They tried getting someone to do the latter, but we proved too much for most baby-sitters, and Pop-pop was not getting any younger. I could litteraly read their tiredness through the number of bags under their eyes, as nights weren't any better, with fights over who gets to use the bathroom first, and Lynn always trying to steal Bun-bun from Lincoln, leading to fits that could be heard three blocks over.

"Little-er, I didn't think much of it. But at the age of seven, I finally realised how miserable we were making them, when I heard Mom breaking down one night, thinking that we were all to bed. I used to be one cookie thief, and I eavesdropped in their talk by accident. Needless to say, the cookie jar became the least of my priorities after hearing those heartwrenching sobs. Even if we didn't mean to, we were making their life a living hell, and that was horrible just thinking about it. But..."

Lori's voice gained a glint of her old confidence. "I realised that if there was one little girl who could change that, it was me. So, I stayed up all night to draft up a plan, and as soon as the morning came by, and the breakfast was dealt with, I assembled the sibs for what would be our first sibling meeting. I explained the situation, and after getting Leni to stop crying out of guilt, I told them what we were going to do about it : Votes to decide in advance where we would go for fun afternoons, what film we would see on movie nights, and who would take what seat in Vanzilla, who had up to three Sweet Spots back then. Fight regulations, moments of calm for Mom and Dad to take a little break, chore assignements, I went down the whole list. I got groans, I got complaints, but once I promised that it would bring fun for everyone, and reminded them for who we were doing this, our voices and minds were in unison, in one _Loud_ cheer."

Lori's fond smile only grew, and a small liquid latecomer escaped her eye. "You should've seen them. Those smiles, those giggles of pure joy. When I was younger, this was all I needed to feel like a leader, it was my reason to be so. We devised plans together, built our trust by organizing secret meetings for shameful mistakes, and all around made life even more fun in the Loud House. And the pride we could read in our parents' faces was the sweet cherry on top of the chocolate cake."

"Choc'ate, hehehe." giggled Lily, eagerly rubbing her tummy at the prospect of her favourite treat.

"Yep, I sure miss chocolate too." Lori softly chuckled, then pursued her tale. "The years passed afterwards. We got a new home, Lucy was born, followed two years later by the twins. Our numbers were only increasing, and so was our chaos. But despite it all, we managed. With the others growing up, I wasn't alone anymore for ideas. Luna and Luan quickly became great monitors, followed by Lynn and Lincoln. Leni was a little out of focus, but came out as an amazing pacifier. Heck, even our latest additions could have great ideas. But whenever things got tough, they all knew that they could turn to me, their leader. And I made the promise that I would never, _ever_ , leave them hanging. Did we have fights ? Of course. Were there mistakes ? Definitely. But we always managed to fix it, I would put my 100% into that. Then, we would be back on the fun and awesome life that was the one of the Loud House !"

For the first time since they had talked to Toriel, there was true hope to be found in Lori's eyes, and happiness in her features. Her joyous gaze towards the ceiling was a ravishing sight for Lily. Finally, it looked like things were getting better for the eldest Loud.

… But all it took was one memory for it to all fall down the drain. Five words only.

" _And then, came Middle School..._ " said Lori while bowing her head, her voice laced with pure self-contempt and resentment. Lily gulped. She had heard snippets from her brother and punny sister of how tumultuous those years had been, but she was finally about to hear the complete version.

"This was the time when I had to leave my sisters behind. I was conscient of how different this would be, of how harsher things could get, not just study-wise, but also socially. The first year went... alright, actually. I still had friends from Elementary, and I just felt like being one year older, that's about it. Sure, I met bullies that reminded me that I was once again part of the youngest of the school. But I managed to have fun all the same, and the year was over before I knew it. Next year was looking bright, with Leni joining me in the class beneath me, and I was honestly convinced that this ' _Middle School destroys you_ ' was just hogwash." Lori dared to chuckle, then took on a much darker tone. "But Summer Vacation brought me some unexpected gifts, other than the announcement of Mom's ninth pregnancy."

"After eating one chocolate bar too many, my teeth ended up a mess. I had so many cavities, Mom almost fainted when she saw the carnage, and rushed me to the cabinet. I got a year of braces, and way above Luan's level. Even she said she could see herself in those big ugly plates. Then, my body started its _akward_ phase, and it has its name for a reason. Body changes, my voice broke more than if Cliff meowed with barbwire in his throat, and a field of zits and pimples litteraly grew on my face overnight. And no matter how much I'd pop them, not only would they quickly grow back, but they always left huge ugly spots behind. I got some teasing from the sibs, but they eventually died down once they saw how much it upsetted me. But in school... heh, boy did I get reminded of it. _About every single_ _ **minute**_ _I walked into those corridors."_

Lori fixed her gaze on Lily, getting a whine from the toddler for the amount of pain it carried. "Lily, what I've lived, I hope you never get anywhere close to it. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, not even on Carol. Even she doesn't deserve that. I'm so thankful you weren't born to be there to see me during that specific year, or the couple of years that followed. They say that school is a pain, that it's 'torture', but those guys and girls don't know what they're talking about. I _litteraly_ lived that pain." Her voice cracked a little more with each passing sentence. "I still remember every name I was awarded. _Keyboard face. Tooth troll._ _ **Ugly McLoud.**_ Those were the words echoing around me all day, at every passing moment. It didn't help that my grades were actually pretty good, making me the perfect target for jocks and those pompous Miss World-orbits-around-my-navel. Funny thing, Carol wasn't actually part of that crowd. My main perpetrator had only one name : _**Marine.**_ " Lori spat the name with such venom, it could've punched a perfect hole in the wall. "At every corner, her and her posse were always there to get the school riled up for mockeries. I know my friends wanted to defend me, but _**Marine's**_ control over the school managed to drive them away. I never blamed them for that. Who'd want to share even a piece of what I was going through ? I can't count the number of times I came back home late due to being stuck in a locker, or having to get all my homework pages thrown into a tree. Sometimes I'd come home with my arms covered with chinese burns, my teeth having mud between them, or my whole face dripping wet from swirlies. One thing for sure, I'd never come home with a smile, and I'd always crash on my bed _crying_. Everyone was worried about me, they wanted names to end this madness. But... I was too scared. Too much of a coward to even fight back. So I just let it happened, day after day, month after month, until the next Summer Vacation hit.

"But then it hit me. I would have to go two years, _two more years_ of this living hell. And after that, would come High School, where this kind of reputation can only get worse. I would be mocked, left alone and friendless, for _five_ _ **stinkin' YEARS !**_ It terrified me, it filled me with dread and anxiety, that just kept coming and coming, until one day... I just... _snapped_. I _wasn't_ going to let that happen again. Never. NEVER. _**NEVER !**_ " yelled Lori, the ghost of the rage she had displayed that day still haunting her. "And... that's when the part I _truly_ regret began."

"This was the part of my life when my status became _everything_ to me. I did countless lawnmowings, house paintings, and so many other jobs just to get as much cream, moisturizer, and cosmetics that I could get. Thankfully, my braces got taken off as scheduled, but the biggest part of my summer just ended being about that, this insane quest to not repeat this hellish year. So much, that I don't actually rememeber having fun at all this summer. Then, the moment of truth arrived, the return to school. My skin was flawless, my teeth pearly white, and my mind dead set on not letting _anyone_ looking down on me. The first few laughs and mockeries from the few that weren't impressed by my physical 180 were immediately terminated by my sheer glare. And when came _Marine_ , getting under my skin in the millisecond she appeared, I didn't even let her speak. I simply struck her right on the spot – Verbally, not physically – and left the whole school speechless. And that's what I was met with the following days, silence. No more teasing, no more paper pellets or paper airplanes with humiliating caricatures thrown at me. **I was free.** And that should've been enough for me."

"But, of course, it simply _wasn't_ good enough for Lori Loud." Lori annoyedly pursued, gripping the sides of her head. "This should've been the point of satisfaction for me, I wasn't a laughingstock anymore. But apparently, I didn't just want dropping of charges. I wanted retribution, **payback** upon those who had dared to make a fool out of me. And as such, no more was the nice little nerdy girl. A new Queen Bee was born, and this one stung hard. If one dared to drop the slightest comment on me, or the slightest funny look, I instantly hit them where it hurt the most : their pride. In a matter of weeks, nobody even dared to look me in the eye, too afraid I would strike them down. My friends were getting scared of me, even though I never mocked them in the slightest. Even Leni and Luna would hide away from me, and many would hide from them, just because they were _my_ sisters. And then... came _Marine_."

Lori's grip on her hair became much greater, yet trembled, as did her voice. "I, quite frankly, despised Marine back then. I had never despised someone ever before, but I certainly did here. And to this day, I can't help pestering whenever I remember that little smile, just proud of me suffering. But... none of what she did to me, could excuse what _I_ did to _her_. Lily... I-I did _horrible_ things to that girl. I would search every day for her, to verbally humiliate her, push her deep into the mud, _destroy_ her. I hit her very confidence, again and again, breaking it apart as much as I could. Even when she was down on the ground, hysterically sobbing, I kept pushing her deeper into this pit of despair. In a month, I managed to get back to her _five times !_ And yes, I said one month. Because afterwards, I had made her life so unbearable, she decided to change school altogether."

"And you think that's the worst part ? Oh no, that came a couple of years later, when I learned what Marine was actually going to say to me, that very day I started attacking her." Lori paused here, as if she wanted those next words to stay in her throat so it could hurt just a little more. Then, in a whisper, they came out. " _She was going to_ _ **apologize.**_ She wanted to start over, get a clean slate, and undo every wrong she had done to me. We could've become friends, sweep everything under the rug, and get a happy ending out of this. And instead, what did I do ? I destroyed her inside out, breaking her whole personna into pieces, and possibly scarring her for the rest of her life."

Now, was Lily truly understanding every word her sister was pronouncing ? No, of course not. But by simply getting the gist of them, Lily could sense how bad those things her sister did were. But the adorable toddler simply wouldn't turn away, instead hanging on her sister's every word. As through Lily's shiny SOUL and Lori's slowly dulling, she knew there was yet more to come.

"So, I became Royal Woods' Middle School local terror, even scaring out students from grades above me. It only made sense that I repeated that kind of demeanor at home. But to them, it was even worse. In the matter of two months, the faithful leader labrador of their pack, which they trusted in with everything they had, had turned into a rabid dobberman. I became snappy, mean, condescending, and so much more. Sibling meetings weren't about deciding by vote anymore, they would be about who'd work up the guts to talk back on my decision. And well, let's just say, there is a reason everyone is afraid of me threatening to turn them into Human Pretzels." There was a slight hiccup in her voice as a particular memory flashed by. _No, not the one you think of..._ "You know, with the way I used to act, I'm not surprised that I was the one that inspired Lola into being what she is today, though thankfully, not nearly as bad."

"During those following years, I threatened the very balance of our sibling relationship. The chaos became even more unhinged, traditions were all almost forgotten, and the entire Sister Fight Protocol had to be built because of how frequent fights were getting, a couple of them actually landing the brawlers into the hospital. All wasn't lost however, our siblings tried to keep things friendly and fun, Lincoln especially, and gave their upmost to help out with Mom's latest arrival, you. But one thing I'm convinced of, is that I played a part in none of it. I had become the instant buzzkill, the predator roaming around, and everyone would freeze up as if I was that T-rex from that _Dino Meadows_ movie. I helped out around the house, but only because it meant not getting into trouble. I stayed frosty at Lisa's prodigiously young intellect, or at Luna's brand new passion, completely changing her. Even when _you_ came, all I saw was... one more brat to put up with."

Lori took another pause to let the thought digest, both for Lily and for herself. Her normal self would have been horrified of telling such blunt information to her little baby sister, but Lori wasn't feeling anything like her normal self at the moment.

"But you know... _you_ were the one that finally slapped some sense into me. Not litteraly." precised Lori with a tiny smile that quickly vanished. "You were three months old, and you were getting into your 'grabby meatloaf' phase as Dad called it. Never... never understood that. But anyway, one night, schedules were tight for everyone. Mom had a speech, Dad had an important meeting, and all the sibs had things they had been planning for weeks, such as concerts, sleepovers, meetings with renowned physicists, all of that good and usual stuff. That only left me, whose main goal of this night was trying a new ice-cream shop that had just opened. But, pride from the time obliged, I was enraged at the idea of not being able to go that _precise_ night, even though there was no special event. But nope, _Lori Loud_ said she would be there, so _Lori Loud_ had to be there !" Lori spat her own name with disgust.

"Of course, Mom and Dad weren't convinced, and I ended up in babysitter duty. I was practically a master at this point, but the master was feeling thoroughly livid tonight. I kept muttering profa- bad words under my breath against my whole family for leaving me stuck here. And with each of your innocent demands, my mood only got worse and worse, and I progressively began to focus my anger onto you. And after changing your diaper for the third time, as you were cooing and agitating your little arms for a good little hug, I snapped at you. Quickly, violently, I began accusing you of this being all your fault, barely holding back any of this unjustified anger from an even more unjustified target. I was like a storm, a raging cyclone of hisses and pathetic rage, but... it died down the second you began to cry. I can't think of a moment in my entire life when something hit me more out of the blue, and made me feel so bad. Well, maybe until recently for the latter. But seeing you cry like that, not only made me realize what I was doing right now – screaming at a newborn – but also for the first time in years, made me see myself for what I had become. A narcissistic _**monster**_."

"When everyone came back, they found you well and asleep, and they found me crying my eyes out on the couch. Thinking back, it was quite the role reversal. And when I saw them, I started sobbing without restraint, beating myself up, begging for forgiveness, and all of that under the astounded gazes of my family. But after all I had done, especially to my siblings, they accepted my apology, just like that, as if those two last years had never existed. Well, not entirely true, I still had to work my way up to gain their complete trust back, but my night still ended at the center of one of our legendary group hugs."

"So, I was back, leader once more, and the sibling traditions were restored. But, my attitude still left some marks, like the Sister Fight Protocol. And... now that I take the time to look back... I truly wonder if deep down, I changed." heavily sighed Lori while passing a hand through her hair. "I've done efforts, I became way less of a control freak, and accepted help wholeheartedly, even when it came from Lincoln's usually half-thought plans. But this craving for attention, this desire to be put in the spotlight, and for things going solely my ways... I think they are still a big part of me. I still threaten everyone that comes into my room, sans you and Leni. I'm still haughty, condescending, and just bossing others around. I act like I've matured, yet I played a dirty trick on Leni just so I wouldn't have to share the title of being the one with a driver liscense, so I could have others do my bidding. And I was litteraly the first one to go solo on the treasure hunt for Sharon Daimonez. Yeah, what a grownup move those were." the blonde scoffed. "But still, I felt like I was getting better, that my leader stance was fair, but important. I felt like I was really improving, finally becoming mature."

"But my whole world was turned upside-down when we... well, came down into _this_ crazy world ! Where plants can be psycho, greetings are translated into assault against little floating hearts that were apparently part of us from the day we were born, and where the whole world apparently works on _video game logic !_ What's next, a comic ? A cartoon ?! One of those _fanfictions_ Lincoln and Lynn read all the time ?! I just... it's just weird stuff, coming one after the other, and things only get more complicated as we go on. But more than that, during this short period of time, as our lives were turning into this whacky adventure, my own flaws jumped right back into my face. Every time I'd do something worthy of a leader, I'd do a gaffe, or someone else would manage things better than me. And I should've been mature by being okay about it, but I didn't. Oh no, I certainly didn't."

"And then with Toriel, I felt like she would be behind my every decision, that she was the one person I simply couldn't disappoint. But when she not only continuously attacked us _and_ you, but also expressed that I _had_ disappointed her, this feeling of being an utter failiure hit me where it hurt. And the only _mature_ way I found to answer that ? To _hurt back_. _**Just like before.**_ " Lori's woeful tone came back again. "It's just clear now. Deep down, I haven't changed. And if not for this Save Point power, I would've **murdered** somebody, and not even someone bad. No wait, scratch that last one, the mere fact that I **MURDERED** someone is enough for me to be considered as a true monster ! No wonder I began to see myself as Flowey. I'm no better than him now."

Lori turned one last time towards her baby sister, and felt internally amazed by the fact that Lily was still listening, as she could tell from her little sad pudgy face how much of this story's harshness she understood. As such, Lori felt the need to wrap this story up. "So you see Lily ? I'm a bad person, someone who can _kill_ out of petty jealousy and pride. I know you are growing up with a lot of role models in all our sibs, that you saw a lot of different passions, from Lisa's facts to Luan's peppiness, and even Lucy's macabre. But now, you must realise, I'm not someone you should look up to. Lincoln is set to be a better leader than I ever was, and there's plenty of wisdom and ingenuity to go around. You don't need me, because my usefulness literally expired right when I planted a stake in the form of a lipstick in it."

Lori's eyes began to well up again, as she put her knees back into her knees, and said in a broken voice that reminded of a white heart she had herself broke.

" _Maybe that's why that platform cracked under my feet back then._ _ **Just so I could disappear, and the world would finally be rid of me.**_ "

And that was the final straw that tipped over the yummy chocolate milkshake for Lily.

* _SLAP !_ *

Lori reeled up from the hit, even though it was barely enough to leave any mark. Rubbing her cheek, she turned to her waddling assaillant, who had a glare fixed on her. Even more tears started to appear as Lori came to terms that she had hit the lowest point, that even Lily hated her now. But before the vice of negativity could close itself on Lori, the baby blonde quickly approached her big sister, separating her knees, and putting herself face-to-face with her, making Lily's still vibrant SOUL come in contact with Lori's dull and trembling one. The two hearts seemingly locked up, and Lily finally took her turn to speak her mind.

 _And yes, we do mean speak._

" _Lori, this is not true._ " was what Lori heard, even though Lily's lips only mouthed her usual babbling, although a frantic one. It seemed that Lily's true and honest thoughts were translated through their SOUL lock, sounding like what Lori could only imagine being the voice she'd one day have as a child. " _You are wrong, wrong wrong wrong ! You are not a failure._ "

Lori's confused stare gained a furrowed brow. "Lily... have you litteraly not heard all of what I've just said ? Of the terrible things I did, just to benefit me, myself and I ?"

" _Of course I did, I've heard everything !_ " firmly uttered Lily, her face still showing firmness, yet losing its initial anger. " _But it's not true, it's just not true. You are someone great. I can tell that by just all I can remember, and not just from all those nice stories told by Lisa, Linky, and the others. I remember how you'always take extra care when preparing my bottles, adding the touch of honey I love so much. You build sandsculptures with me in the park, always praising me even when it'd just look like a little lump of sand. And when you tuck me in, you forget all about your phone so you can sing me that lullaby Mommy used to sing for you_." Lily flashed her sweet little smile. _"You really care about me, not because you're forced to, but because you just do. That's not what a bad person does._ "

Lori could feel her heart swell up and her eyes well up again at Lily's compliments, but part of her kept telling her that she didn't deserve any of this praising, that she was still a pompous egotistical **murderer**. "N-No, I am bad. I did so many wrong things for the wrong reasons, and..."

But Lily's smile didn't disappear as she shook her head. " _No, you made mistakes. And you try to fix them. And Goat Mom is not dead anymore, and you do feel bad about it. Meanie Flowey certainly wouldn't feel bad about it. You're not perfect, you make errors and boo-boos, like Mommy and Daddy do sometimes. But you're still my big big sister, and I will always look up to you. Wanna know why ?_ " asked the toddler, to which Lori meekly responded with a nod. The eldest blonde emitted a little gasp, as Lily threw her pudgy little arms around Lori's midsection, and rubbed her head affectionately against her stomach. The SOUL lock didn't even need to do the translation on that one.

" **'Cause ah 'wuv you, vewy much.** "

That was all it took for Lori to crumble into sobs, but not out of pain this time. She knew Lily couldn't possibly comprehend all the details of what she had done, all the effects and repercussions it had done and was still having today. But for this little ball of innocence to simply forgive her and tell her that no matter what, _she_ would still be someone she could admire, filled Lori with an ocean of joy that instantly drowned up her guilt and sorrow. All she could feel doing was to tightly hug her baby sister back, muttering apologies and thanks, and just appreciate to be there with her youngest sibling, nothing else mattering for those few precious seconds.

 _For an instant, everything was nothing but relief and harmony for the two..._

But a wake-up call came in the sound of fireballs crashing against walls, reminding the young adult and tot, now that their problem had been solved, of the issue still raging on. The hug thus ended, with the two SOULs disconnecting, and Lori's SOUL looking completely revitalized.

Lori took a breather, and regained the confidence in her gaze as she exhaled throug her nose. "We've got to stop this fight. But... how can we help ?" murmured the blonde, putting on a thinking face, quickly mimicked by the baby in her hands. Going straight back into battle without any new info didn't quite sound right, and while their sisters and brother were busy making sure Toriel didn't blow the exit, _they_ had the possibility to go back upstairs. This was an advantage they had to use, but how ? How could they try convincing Toriel of letting them go when they apparently knew so little of her, of her past and...

"Her... past... Holy goat, that's it !" exclaimed Lori in sudden clarity. She pulled Lily's face closer to her own. "Lily, I've got an idea, but we gotta make this quick. Are you with me ?"

Lily nodded, but then began to squirm around in Lori's arms, rubbing her knees frantically while her red face gained a akward expression, completed with little whimpers. It didn't take Lisa's IQ to see what was going on here.

Lori rolled her eyes and gave a little grin. "Alright, maybe we can take a little bathroom break on the way. You've certainly earned it."

And with that said, Lori ran up the stairs, on her way to both find her proof, and avoid more liquid to be shared. All she could hope was that her siblings could handle Toriel for the time being.

 _Just a little more, for their leader to come back._

* * *

{ _... and unpauses !_ }

* _If something's going to happen, it is certainly taking its time. And you seem to be running out of it..._

"Well gee, tell me something I don't know." sarcastically shot back Lincoln. The strange 'non-human' was feeling very talkative as of late, and Lincoln's patience towards it was starting to wear thin. But the patience he needed for this fight was still standing strong, as were his sisters'. Physically though...

Doing their best to avoid another Firestream incoming, Lisa and Luan still _felt the burn_ , as the comedienne would put it, and their _HP_ were sent down to the level of their siblings. Said level turned around a measly **3** , with luckier ones like Lucy, Lynn, and Lana standing at **5** , while Leni and Lola were in severe danger with an alarming **2** _HP_ left. The kids' clothes all presented burns and tears to match their owners, who were covered with injuries. Everything hurt, the room's temperature was close to unbearable, and the fight had dragged on for more than twenty turns now, and Toriel was still attacking.

But were the siblings feeling like giving up ? Not one bit. They could feel the rising disturbance in Toriel's attacks, and in her continuous pleas and orders for them to step down. But each time, the Goat Woman was only met with the pressing of the _Spare_ option, and nine young pair of eyes shining with determination, despite tiredness clearly starting to take over. Toriel simply _couldn't_ admit it, but... they were winning. She still had so much power to go, but her heart was simply struggling just to keep up this wall of sterness.

Why couldn't they just listen to reason ? Why couldn't they just listen to _her_ ?

"Children... don't you sense the pain plaguing your body ? Do you not realise how easily you could avoid it, if you simply stay here with me ?" insisted Toriel, feeling like her speeches were turning into a broken record, but then again, they hadn't really been changing their course of action either. "This pain, this suffering, those will be what _they_ will inflict you beyond those doors. So, once and for all, stop this foolishness !"

The Loud youths didn't answer at first, letting a small veil of obscurity hide their eyes. Apart from Lucy, for obvious reasons. But soon, those who were looking faint rose up to their feet, standing straighter than before, and kept gazing into Toriel's own piercing orbs.

"Stop this foolishness ? I think you just stole our line here, Tori." calmly said Luna.

"Agreed. Only one needs to get its priorities straight at the moment, and that person is you, Goat Mother." nodded Lisa, the flames' light reflecting in her glasses.

"Yeah, your reading glasses are supposed to be just for that, reading. So why can't you just see things straight already ?" insisted Luan.

"Like, we are sending you our signal here, one that even I can comprehend. So why can't you ?" questionned Leni, sounding slightly sad, yet just as willing to not let her objective slip through her hands.

"I'm someone who likes to pick up fights just for fun, and even I can tell this was a bad plan, in and out." chided Lynn with a furrowed brow and crossed arms.

"This has been a painful experience, is still one, and probably will be one if we continue. Even if we turn around, you can't expect things to be the same." reminded Lucy, in hopes of getting through their Goat Guardian, and trying her best to keep her dry tone straight.

"Yeah, it just won't be anywhere close as before. We don't want to spend our lives with you if it means constantly being reminded that you took our only chance to go back away." painfully acknowledged Lola, gripping and squeezing her muddy sister's hand.

"We... we don't want to _hate_ you. That would just be too horrible." tearfully added Lana. "So screw the pain, we'll keep _Sparing_ you !"

"We don't care if this fight takes ten, thirty, or even a hundred more turns. We'll still _Spare_ you, over and over again !" finished Lincoln with power in his voice, his red SOUL beating in perfect unison with his sisters', symbolizing their power and will. The boy once again pressed _Spare_.

Toriel closed her eyes and sighed. Apparently, they still wouldn't listen to reason. It looked like the Firemancer was going to have to bust out more advanced moves. She'd regulate the power of course, wouldn't want any accident. But Toriel was convinced that this attack would finally get them to comprehend how powerful and dangerous a monster could be.

The blazing on Toriel's paws intensified tenfold, and she brought them in the air. Then, dozens- no, hundreds of fireballs spurted out like a geyzer. Finally, Toriel pushed her hands forward, and true Rain of Fire rolled its way towards the human kids.

Said kids sharply gasped at both the surprise element and flare of the attack, and the oldest siblings immediately dove in to serve as human shields for the youngest, with Lynn taking Lana, Luna taking Lucy, Luan taking Lola, and Leni taking Lincoln and Lisa. All braced themselves for the pain that was sure to come from this unavoidable attack.

…

 _But it never came._

The children shakily opened one of their eyes, and what they saw was nothing less than surprising. The sheer avalance of fire was avoiding them, opening like curtains, and falling on their sides without even so much as to graze them. They were surprised to say the least, but not as much as Toriel seemed to be.

"Totes beautiful..." breathed Leni with shiny eyes.

"I know it's kind of in the _heat_ of the moment, but... what's happening exactly ?" asked Luan, releasing her grip on Lola.

"That, I think I can explain." lisped Lisa, squirming out of Leni's constricting hug. "You see, magic is linked to the monster's own SOUL, thus to all of what the monster feels. The more frantic, the faster the attacks will go, as demonstrated the Loox twins. If the monster has its focus out of the battle, its attack will be meaningless, as we saw with our friend Migosp. So, for this attack to miss us on purpose, it would mean that its owner _doesn't_ want to conduct the assault, even if they don't care to admit it." The little genius turned around to face the bewildered Goat woman. "But that you should know, Goat Mother. After all, you taught me that fact."

"Hey, yeah. You said that to me too !" pointed out Luna.

"And me !" added Lola.

Lincoln didn't miss a beat, the perfect opportunity was presenting itself on a hot silver platter. "See ? Your magic is showing your true state of mind. You don't want to continue this battle anymore than we do. Just drop it. You can't win this fight."

A pang of fear resonated through Toriel's body. It simply could not be. She couldn't lose this fight, not like that, not out of weakness. _Again_. Her nerves only swelled up with anxiety when Lincoln pressed the _Spare_ option once again, and she could feel her SOUL agreeing to the small wave of magic coming out of it.

Toriel tried to brush it aside, summoning another Sweeping Paw. But all that managed to come out of her paws were harmless fireballs, cementing the idea that Toriel simply could not accept. Deprived of any dissuasive power, Toriel still found her voice, and said, "Children, go back upstairs."

"No." replied Lucy, Lana, Lola and Lisa, pressing the _Spare_ button.

"Then you must fight !" insisted Toriel, sending in another useless assault.

"No !" chanted Lynn, Luan, Luna and Leni, with another _Spare_ action.

" _You must choose between those two options now !_ " yelled Toriel, tears pinpricking her eyes while sending another aimless attack.

" _ **NO !**_ " roared the nine kids at once, punching the _Spare_ option with such force, the wave's magnitude was strong enough to blow out all the embers on the wall, and to push Toriel back a couple of inches. The Motherly Monster was fine, she still had magic reserves, and she wasn't hurt physically in any way. But inside, it was just too much to bear. The fire in her hands disappeared, and she bowed down her head, her stern face betrayed by a couple of tears and a trembling brow.

"Why... why can't you just be happy with what you have ?" weakly murmured Toriel, the flare in her voice having disappeared along with her magic, apart from the flickering wall of flames still blocking the door. "I know we don't have much, that the Ruins are quite narrow... but we can be happy here. Counting stories, play games, and just be happy. I know we're not related, but I'll do my upmost to make you feel as if we are. So why... _why can't you just stay ?_ "

"We'd love to stay, you have no idea how much we'd love to." said Lincoln, sadness clearly present in this tone. And yet, he still smiled at her. "But... we have to go. But we told you, you don't have to be worried for us. You gave us love, comfort, and plenty information for our quest. So, don't be sad, because we'll keep being _determined_."

Toriel's eyes widened a little more. This single word evoked something particular to her, a feeling she's been feeling since she's met this young white-haired boy. It had been weak, and the two had nothing in common, may it be physical or in their characters. And yet, looking at him, at his flamboyant red SOUL... Toriel couldn't chase the feeling that she was seeing this shy but lovable child that brightened up her days, months before she chose to exile herself from the monster world.

Lynn decided to take the helm, dropping on a sneaky fighter position. "Linc's right, Goat Mom. If those monsters show up, they better have nerves of steel to survive my death glare, and be ready for a good thump on the nose if they get too much all over our business ! Or eyes, if they don't have a nose. And if they don't have both, I'll get creative."

"Yeah, don't worry about a thing. I'm as good in pacifying critters than I am to make them surrender. Not to toot my own horn, but I did wrestle a couple of alligators back in the day. I even got them to imprint on me, choosing me as their leader. 'Visit them everyday, they are big sweethearts." chuckled Lana.

That never-ending bravado... this gap in her teeth... and that passionate **orange**. All of those elements reminded Toriel of an eight-year old child that had passed through her humble home. The eight-year-old boy always had this confidence that he could take on the entire world.

" _Don't worry, Goat Mommy ! I'll give'em my special one-two, and once they see how strong I am, they'll respect me, we'll become pals, and they'll show me the way home ! Easy-peasy !"_

"Doesn't happen often, but I'm one-hundred percent behind Lana on this one !" flaunted Lola, giving her golden hair a little whiff. "When they'll see us enter the stage, they'll be left utterly dazzled, especially by _me._ Once that's done, it'll take a few words for them to quit this barbaric attitude, and they might just get a tip from me to improve their lives."

"Covering their homes in pink glitter will be something _dazzling_ for sure, hahaha ! Get it ?" cracked Luan, much to the annoyance of her princess of a sister. "But if that doesn't work, I really hope they know how to swim down there, 'cause I'm gonna _flood_ them with acts and jokes that will leave them _out of breath_ ! Hahahaha !"

Great self-esteem, energy, and a dazzling blue SOUL breathing those two. Those, plus Luan's ponytail/bun brought more memories back to Toriel, ones of a dainty ballerina, ready to conquer her audience from all of her twelve years of age.

" _Fear not, Mother. I shall jump above all obstacles in my way, and inspire those monsters with awe. None shall stop me, as I have much more lights to encounter and shine under back home."_

"We shall not be reckless either." precised Lisa with a tweak of her glasses. "Clear-thinking and careful planning will assist us. And with all that you have taught me about the intricately scientific world of magic, I'll have all the cards in hand to share between us, and get us the sweetest deal to come out on top."

Another vision hit Toriel as she observed the young genius before her, who shared many things with a certain blond nine-year old. Huge glasses, always having something to write and to write on, an everlasting will to find a solution, and the electric purple in their SOULs. Even the speech and constant lisp were there.

" _There is no equation, puzzle, or riddle down here that can't be solved. And if they haven't yet, they just have to wait for an expert to come along. By taking my time and calculating the probabilities, I will make it, I guarantee that to you with upmost certainty."_

"More cards ? Like, I still don't get it." vouched Leni, scratching her platinium blonde scalp. But she immediately put on her sweet smile again, ignoring the groans and couple of facepalms echoing around her. "But I agree with the idea though. I'm sure if we do what you said, and be super nice with them, they'll be so happy they'll let us pass straight up. If they need an ear to listen to their problems or someone to knit them something nice, I'll always be there to take the offer !"

Such sweetness, such positiveness. Such calm green in her SOUL. There was no doubt in Toriel's mind to compare her with a gentle boy that had too offered so much kindness around him, as well as delicious meals. The thirteen year-old teen had nothing less than the future of a grand chef ahead of him.

" _Monsters may be aggressive, but all the desire deep down is for someone to give them a tender hug and tell them everything is gonna be okay. And not only will I do that, but I'll make their taste buds quiver with unforgettable tastes, and their hearts swell up with kindness."_

"I'm usually not the one to go for immediate friendships and all that mushy stuff. But... this world certainly had showed me intriguing creatures, some I can even relate too, and are sweet in a way that I can appreciate. So, if our straight path back home is to be tainted by the light of friendship, I guess I won't shy away from it." quipped Lucy with a small smile, and a small blush upon remembering that certain sweet someone.

Luna nodded, and patted the little goth's head affectionally. "True words there. We'll be fair to those guys as much as we can, hearing their swings before we present ours. But we ain't gonna be pushovers either. 'Cause if there is one thing those monsters are going to get from us, it's the pure and honest Loud style !"

A calm, measured, and fair way of moving forward. Such had been the ideal of a daring fifteen year-old girl, her yellow SOUL reflecting her golden hair topped with a brown cow-boy hat.

" _There had been some mighty injustice going around this place, Goat Ma, from both sides. Ah'm goin' to right those wrongs, and get justice to be served. Once order is finally back, we'll have one mighty banquet, and I promise we'll be both there to taste that grub under the sun."_

Toriel just didn't know what to think anymore. With all those blasts from the past, it seemed that even her _memories_ were turning against her, trying to push in her decision to let those children go. To send them away forever. And to make her the sole resident of this house, once again. Was this it ? What the world had decided for her, what she had brought onto herself ? Eternal solitude and constant heartbreak, for having disobeyed the words of the _greater good_.

Toriel's heart skipped a beat. Those two words... why were they making her blood sizzle ? Lincoln managed to get her attention from it for a brief moment. "So you see ? If Lori and Lily had been there, I'm sure they would have said the same thing. I know it's hard, even though I may not understand how hard, but I'm also sure that deep down, you understand it. We got to know you, and we know how much of a wonderful caretaker you are. And we know that in the end, you'll do what you know is the _greater good_." finished Lincoln with a gentle smile, that he shared with his sisters as they all grouped around him.

But Toriel did not acknowledge those smiles, as she remembered why those two words were filling her with such sudden anger. Those two cursed words were the centerpiece of the last speech _**HE**_ had given her, those sentences she had been mulling and raging over for decades, if not centuries.

 _ **HIS**_ _reason for such a foolish plan._

" _No, I will concede no more ! This is not just about my will or yours, but for our people who have been suffering for centuries. Humans have taken_ everything _from us, and I tried to handle it with humility and understanding, but they've crossed the final line. I will not allow monsters to live in despair any longer, they deserve to bathe in the sun's rays we've once known. If this plan requires the sacrifice of humans, then fine ! If I must base this kingdom's hopes and dreams on such a terrible act for them to still have some, then fine ! And... if this has to go against what_ you _think is right and wrong... then fine..."_

To this day, Toriel still could not believe he said that to her. She cared not how much it must've hurt to say it, the mere fact that he _could_ say it was enough for Toriel's heart to shatter into pieces, and for love to be replaced by a seed of resentment, that only grew year after year. The growth became even more proeminent when she understood that his plan was in no motion at all. 'Not allow them to suffer any longer'. _Lies and false hopes, those were all that **he** provided_.

To this man, nothing she could say or think had mattered. Already, she could see a massive horned shadow linger over the youth in front of her, already promising the same fate he had given to those who had come before those kind children. But then again, neither did those six youth listen, ignoring all her advice on the danger outside. And now, after putting her sweat and both hearts in her words, to try to make them understand that she had naught but the desire to protect them, she was still being utterly _ignored_. Why ? _Why ? Why why why **why why**_ **WHY ?!**

 _ **Why was it so hard for the world to just listen to her ?!**_

"Why..." began Toriel through grinded teeth, as the flickering wall of flames behind her suddenly flared back to life, and with even more flare than before.

"G-Goat Mom ?" whimpered Lola, understandably scared by not only the power, but also by the sheer wrath emanating from it. The Loud band gathered together even tighter, starting to shake. Even Lincoln's internal voice allowed fear into their speech.

* _This... this is not good. At all._

" _Won't anyone..._ " pursued the monster, frustration spreading in her voice at a frightening rate, as did the flames' blaze, spreading all over the walls behind Toriel, around her, and even on the ceiling. Its heat was getting so intense, the orange was starting to change into a piercing white.

"Goat Mom, i-i-it's not funny anymore..." hiccuped Luan, tears of fear starting to appear, and not just on her face. The quivering only intensified amongst the kids, the fire's power overwhelming their senses, and not doing any good to their injuries. But Toriel was blind to all of this.

" _ **Just listen to me...**_ " spoke Toriel with cracking and dangerous wrath. The rampaging fire stopped its advance, and instead started to focus into a pure white ball of flames, flanked by what resembled two white wings, composed of flames as well. The entire room looked as if it was sweltering by the attack's mere intensity.

" _Toriel, you gotta calm down !_ Lisa was right, your magic's going haywire !" cried out Lincoln in despair, not feeling too well over finding out that something more terrifying than Flowey was possible to witness.

But Toriel stayed deaf to the children's pleas and cries. Certainly not out of spite, but because of the overwhelming sensation of years of frustration and contained anger finally taking their toll on the woman, rendering her oblivious of what was happening around her. She simply couldn't take it anymore. This true raging fire inside of her was finally **exploding** , perhaps as it should have on this fateful moment that had begun her exile. Well, it had been quite the wait, but Toriel was finally letting it be free, not giving a darn about her image or consequences.

 _But in her blind rage, Toriel had forgotten what those consequences were._

" _ **FOR ONCE IN THEIR LIVES ?!**_ " roared Toriel with every bit of anger possible for her to muster, flowing like a scorching tempest. And her magic, obeying her SOUL's present core feelings, decided to give it form, zooming towards the terrified kids with terrifying power.

And it was the very moment our poor heroes cried out in fear that Toriel opened her eyes, and in a split second, realised what she was doing. Panic immediately found its ways into her mind and features, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow down, as if giving Toriel full knowledge and view of what she was about to do.

 _An act that would make her even worse of a person than **HIM !**_

Knowing she had very little time, Toriel used every bit of her magic expertise to decrease the attack's power as much as she could. That would normally be fairly easy to her to render any of her attacks harmless, but this attack was proving to be more powerful than everything she had ever used, even during her defending participation in the war. Toriel didn't allow herself to breathe during that second, putting her very being into taking every drop of power she could attain. Until finally...

{ _Heartache stops._ }

 _The attack connected._

* _ **BOOOOM !**_ *

The deafening sound bounced around the room for a good three seconds. During those seconds, white was all Toriel could see, forcing her eyes to take refuge behind her purple sleeve. Once it stopped, a cloud of dust invaded the scenery, leaving the woman with overwhelming dread and regret.

"No... please, no. Don't let it be this way, I beg of you..." murmured Toriel, praying that someone, **anyone** was listening. The Ruins' Guardian could feel herself being overridled by a premature feeling of guilt and anguish. If she was to have done the unforgivable to even one of them, to a _**child**_ , Toriel knew, she would not survive _this_ heartbreak.

And after several agonizing seconds, the dust cleared up, revealing...

"L... Lori ?" whispered Toriel in shock.

Indeed, blocking the hugging ball of Loud siblings, was none other than their eldest sister, her arms and legs spread out in a protective fashion. And for good use it seemed, as her smoldering body and multiple burnt marks all over the front of her body made it all too obvious that she had taken the attack head on, barring any flame from reaching her siblings. And she had been successful ! The siblings looked... bad, but they didn't look any worse than before. Their expressions on the other hand, had changed from terror, to utter shock, to intense worry. All souls present, monster and humans, shakily looked above the blonde's head. A tsunami of relief hit them when they saw the smidge of yellow in her _HP_ bar, as well as a reassuring **1** still standing.

But that didn't mean Lori was feeling okay. _At all._ The mere fact of breathing was sending pain through the teen's body. But instead of hissing in pain, she instead chose to give a small grin at the siblings behind her, who were watching her with big eyes. "Hehe... look at this. I'm away for five minutes, and the place's already falling into rubble..." she chuckled, which was not the smartest move, as the echo of pain given to her ribs made her knees buckle under her. "Urgh..."

Fortunately, reaction was immediate amongst the other humans, and immediately caught up their sister as gently as possible, before circling her. "Oh my gosh, Lori ! Are you alright ?! Where does it hurt ?! We need a doctor !" fussed Leni, already in tears into seeing her older sister in such a poor state.

"Well I'm a doctor, but there is not quite much I can do here." pointed out Lisa, trying to sound calm despite the apparent worry on her face. "Perhaps if I had some cotton and disinfectant..."

"Forget the First Aid Kit, we need a bed and three tons of bandages !" cried out Lola, her panic immediately quelled by Luna applicating a calming back rub.

"Let's not _burn_ any bridges here, hahaha !" joked the optimistic Loud teen, before falling into concern once again. "But really, how're you holdin' up Lori ? Are you done immitating Lucy ?"

"I dare say you were better than the original." quipped Lucy, a trace of sadness in her voice, as she twiddled her fingers. "And... it was kinda scary, not gonna lie."

Lori couldn't help but chuckle at all the panicked yet caring attention she was receiving. Which was once again a mistake, prompting her to cough forcefully. "* _Cough cough*_ Guys ! I'm alright now... sorta. I just needed to wind up a little, to think about what I've been doing recently, and not just since we've come here. But before we talk about that... there is something I need to say, to somebody else."

The kids immediately understood, and cleared the path for Lori to look directly at Toriel. The woman seemed relieved to see the blonde being alive, as well as the others. But at the same time, she seemed truly shaken over what she had almost done. To think she had almost...

 _And this weakness was exactly what Lori was hoping for._

 _[Undertale OST – Memory...]_

"It doesn't feel good, huh ?" began Lori with a gentle knowing smile. "To know that you've let your anger fall on an innocent, for reasons that only concern you and you alone, and almost pushed you to commit the unforgivable. I know that feeling. I've been there, more recently than you think. But... at the same time, I'm sure the roots of my problems go as far as yours, do they ?"

Toriel didn't peep a word, focusing her confused stare onto this child she taught so much, trying to understand where _she_ was going with this. How the tables had turned...

"After my little episode, which I'll gloss on the details, I went upstairs to do a little snooping around your room. I found books, plants... socks." For some reason, Lori blushed a little at that. "And... a journal. Yes, I know, it's unforgivable to read someone's journal, I should've known better. But there was just a little information I needed to find. One that I've connected with the dusty photo standing in the Red Room. A _family_ photo."

Toriel hitched a breath, and looked down, her body starting to shake. It was quite the shocking sight for the kids to see their strong Guardian looking so meek all of a sudden. Only Lori didn't seem surprised, and kept going in stride.

"I noticed it from the moment you gave us the room, but I never found the right moment to talk to you about it. I also noticed that you were in it, along with an erased bigger shape, and two blurred smaller shapes." she counted, throwing a piercing yet understanding look. "Those two, or at least one of them, was _your_ child, am I right ? And they're not here anymore. **That** is the main reason you've been taking care of all those children before, and us as well. Am I correct, Toriel ?"

Silence once again, as Toriel's shivering only increased, and her eyes began to mist. The children softly gasped at this revelation, with Lisa feeling stupid for not having guessed that before, with all the clues left behind.

Lori's expression gained sadness, and she pursued. "I don't know how it happened, and why. And I can't say that what you've done isn't admirable or thoughtful in any way, including this fight. But if you're truly acting through those reasons, then I must make you understand why what you're doing right now is not fair."

"Back up there, we have lives. Friends, besties, even a boyfriend or girlfriend. But above all, we have our parents. Our father, and our **mother**. And let's talk about her, our mom is great. She's taught us many things over the years, from our first words to the way we should live as respectable women, and even man. Everyday, she pours all of her energy into kids she's been devoting herself to for **eighteen** years, right down to her pregnancy of me." Lori's voice grew heavier as childhood memories came back to her, from trips to the beach to snow days, birthdays, thanksgivings and christmases included. "Her life is now dedicated to those kids she love so very much. It's not always easy, but she adores it, as she adores us. _**And**_ , by keeping us here... you essentialy rob her of her entire life. At this moment, our mom is most certainly at her worst, crushed by the fear that her _eleven_ children might be gone forever, unquestionably blaming herself for it. And as a fellow mother, as well as someone who's known that pain of loss before, you must understand the torture you're putting her through right now. And it's just not fair..."

A sole tear ran down Lori's left cheek. "We just wanna see her. We just wanna go home."

Toriel remained quiet still, but she was clearly acknowledging what Lori was telling her, and it only made her feel worse. She knew the uncertainty and fear of it, as well as the loss over a child she'd been nurturing from the day _he_ was born. But to abruptly end an overwhelming and life-dedicating bond of eighteen years and of so many prideful children ? Toriel could only imagine, and that only made the feeling of guilt hit even harder. Even more as the softness of Lori's speech reminded her of a small girl that passed here long ago. No older than the twins, a single red ribbon in her eyes, and clutching on a plastic knife, that was gifted to her, with her dear life.

" _Please, M-Miss Goat Lady. I've been extra nice, and you've been nice too, but... I wanna go home, to see my mo-mo-mommy..."_

Lori could see breaches opening in the façade that Toriel was desperately trying to uphold. But the authoritative Loud had still a trick or two in her pocket ( _Get it ? Can't be up her sleeves because she doesn't have any ? What is that sudden smell of tomatoes ?_ ). She didn't like doing this, but this was an opportunity she couldn't miss. With a deep breath, Lori unleashed her last attempt.

"What you're doing right now, you're doing for those kids you lost, both yours and the humans who you gave shelter. You want to keep us here to protect us, so we won't disappear like them. And, that's noble. But... if they were here right now, if they could see you... _do you truly believe they'd be proud ?_ "

Toriel winced. **Hard.** Other accusations had harmed her emotionally, but this one had litteraly hurt, like being on the receiving end of one of Lynn's jabs. Or at least of how painful she was told they were. And inside, it was even worse, her insides and mind equally scrambling and spinning, quicker and quicker. Her inner cracking wall was now eroded to its absolute limit, sending wave over wave of discomfort into every fiber of her being. Toriel desperately tried to hold it in, to ignore this haunting pain. But as of now, a mere drop of water would prove enough for the entire dam to collapse. The smallest of things, the meekiest of actions, would suffice for hell to break lose.

 _And small was what would define the culprit very well._

The thousands of thoughts inside Toriel's head stopped when she felt a tiny tug at her robes, so soft she almost didn't feel it. Slowly, she looked down to find none other than the youngest Loud, looking at her with sad eyes. Lily then put her arms up in a 'pick-me-up' fashion, and innocently enunciated :

"Mama. Up, Goa' Mama."

Toriel's eyes widened to their limit, and her heart simply stopped. Looking down at the baby balancing herself on her two legs, Toriel saw something else. She saw a furry little ball of sunshine and puirity, tucked into his little green jumper, and looking up at his mommy with two eyes full of wonder for the world, and the purest of smiles adoring his little furry cheeks. She r-remembered his earlier w-w-words...

" _Hehe ! 'Wuv you **Mama...** "_

And just like that, Toriel **crumbled**.

"Ah... aaah... AAAAAAAAAAH !" she tearfully bellowed, falling on her knees. She took Lily in her arms and wraped her into a hug, almost nuzzling the little girl, but unable to due to the torrent of tears cascading down her face. Loud and agonizing sobs repeatedly barreled up her throat, decades of bottled up anguish finally going free, with every wail keeping the sadness level steady.

Lily did not truly get the why and how. All that she understood was that Goat Mom was sad, very sad. Thus, Lily did the only thing she felt she could do when someone she loved was sad, and threw her arms around Toriel's neck as much as she could, nuzzling her face with all the tenderness and patience she could muster.

* _"...You won. You earned 0 EXP and 0 Gold. But perhaps, you won much more..._

 **Critical Battle... over.**

 _{Music fades to the background.}_

As their SOULs finally buried themselves back in their chests, the Loud children observed the scene in silence, with some starting to cry their own tears. They could feel the sadness in every sob they heard, and wanted nothing more than to be there for her as well. But...

"S-Shouldn't we be comforting her too ?" meekly asked Lana, her tone cracking. She immediately felt Lori's hand on her shoulder, and turned to her harbouring a sad smile and softly shaking her head.

"Let Lily handle it. I know, it might be hard to look at, but Toriel needs this. Sometimes, it's fine to just cry. And she's been delaying that moment for quite some time." Lori's smile diminished. "Way longer than me, for sure."

A bit of confusion appeared amongst the Louds. "What do you mean ?" asked Lynn, raising her brow.

Lori sighed at a Lucy's level of melancholia. "I've been keeping some feelings inside for quite some time as well, and that backfired in a horrible way. Tell me, do you think I'm worthy of being your leader."

"Well, yeah. You're the oldest, the smartest, the most mature of all of us." earnestly said Lola. "Without you, our house would fall apart. Or blow up. Or be flooded. Whatever disaster comes first."

"But you managed just fine during those years I **wasn't** your leader." pointed out Lori, prompting gasps and gulps from her siblings. It seemed they remembered as well. "To this day, the memories are still fresh, of those two years of _hell_ I've inflicted over you. Nobody deserved any of it, not even my tormentors, and especially not you. I **know** ", she stopped Leni, Luna, and Lincoln right in their tracks, "that you've forgiven me, and that I made efforts to change. But, sometimes, I wonder if I did change. I'm still unfairly mean to you guys at times, pushing you around just because I'm the oldest."

"Ah, c'mon mate, ain't the end of the world as we know it." chuckled Luna. "You've got tastes and pride, but we've got our own faults. Just because you're the leader doesn't mean you've got to be perfect."

" _That_ actually brings me to my second point." numbered Lori remorsefully. "Since we've fallen down this _whacky_ world of magic and monsters, I feel like I didn't do much as a leader, or even if I was truly it. I've given votes, took some actions, and made smart choices. But at the same time, I couldn't help but notice how good you were doing without me. Lincoln and his weird power, as well as his quick-thinking; Luna and her calm, chill attitude; Leni, Lily and Luan keeping the morale high; Lola and her craftful talking; Lana and Lynn always pushing forward, and Lucy looking beyond to find hidden depths of a situation or an individual. As not only a leader, but also your big sister, I should've felt proud over all those wonderful talents. But instead, I became so jealous, resentful of your qualities, overshadowing me. Because I didn't see... because I **don't see** , where that makes me I fit in there."

The siblings felt truly befuddled at what they were hearing. With the bond they all had, for their sister to feel that way and for them to never grasp even a clue of it ? Now they were feeling quite bad too.

"But, the answer's obvious, you've even said it. You're our oldest sister, the girl who we can rely on the most through a difficult situation." softly spoke Luan. "We trust you. You... know that, right ?"

"I know, I know, and I should litteraly be fine with that. But I'm not !" raspily yelled Lori. Her expression then became fragile and fearful. "The truth is, I'm scared. Not of this place, but of what it's telling me. I'm scared of seeing you doing so well on your own, not needing me as much as you used to. And not just that ! I'm scared of thinking that what I did during those two years left a sort of gap between us. And in the end, the thing I'm t-truly _mortified_ of, is to know that next year will be my entering into College, meaning that I'll probably have to move out, maybe somewhere far away... and that when I'll be gone, things will be **exactly** the same. _Except then, you won't have a pompous nag pushing you out of the way all the time._ "

Silence, only betrayed by Toriel's sobs in the background, and Lori's sniffling. The Louds truly felt that they had to take a moment to digest this information, so that they could react in a proper manner, which meant in a calm, thoughtful and reasonable way-

"That is the biggest pile of baloney that I've ever heard in my life."

 _Or, Lynn could simply choose to jump the gun and be extra forward with this._

Lori blinked through her tears, looking at her frowning athletic sister. "...What ?" asked the blonde in a still trembling voice.

"You heard me. You are basically telling us that _you_ are useless to this family. And that is complete malarky !" stressed the brunette, not an ounce of hesitation in her speech. "Without you, this thing we've all got going on here, wouldn't even exist in the first place."

"Lynn's right !" chimed in Leni, wiping her sister's face with her handkerchief. "Like, you made the house's rules, created the sibling council, and pushed us to create that super strong sibling bond, even though we're all so different ! You're the one who made that super smart birthday plan with all those codes to keep the surprise alive every year. You even took the time to explain to me that _surprise_ is not a living creature. So confused that day. But anyway, you've done so much for us over the years, not because you had to, but because you could. And you say you aren't providing anything good to us ? Sorry, but even I think that's a dumb thing to say."

Lori's heart warmed up at those nice thoughts, but she immediately put on another pouring on it, not wanting to gain false hopes. "I'm not saying I never did anything. But recently, I've been kind of a lousy leader. I mean, do you remember when we thought a burglar was on our premises ? I began panicking and crying like a helpless baby. _In front of Lily_ , and even she doesn't do that."

"That happened once ! Gee, since when are you so nitpicky about yourself ?" groaned Lana. "We can play this game too, you know. Remember when I was five, and I tried to fix the roof's tiles by myself ? I slipped down, and I was hanging for my life, until you came along to catch me. You spent over an hour with me to calm me down, petting my head like I'd do for Charles."

"And what about when the _Rolling Boulders_ were in town ?" inquired Luna. "I had the tickets and everything, but the parents insisted for a chaperone, and I couldn't find anybody. I was so upset, even Lucy called me out for how sad and gloomy I looked. And out of the blue, you decided to cancel this date with Bobby, that you'd been preparing for two weeks, and took me to what became one of the raddest concerts I've been to !"

"Your expertise of our residence's First Aid Kit is also to be appreciated." lisped Lisa with a small but genuine smile. "Even I have difficulty remembering the number of times my then fragile epidermis had to be treated from scalds and cuts."

"And splinters, from that time my little homemade stage's floor collapsed under me ! Then again, shouldn't have stacked more than five books atop my head." concurred Lola, scratching her chin.

"You went the fastest way with me, and downright taught me how to use the white case." joined in Lynn. "Makes sense, seeing how much stuff I usually take in the face. And arms. And stomach. And below the belt, if you know what I mean."

"In the butt ?" Leni pursed her lips, to which Lynn replied with a pat on the head.

"Yeah, that's the best answer."

Lori felt herself starting to crack, but decided to keep pushing still. "Okay, so I did some good deeds. I-It doesn't erase the fact that I can be awful with you guys."

"So ? We're not exactly pure of sins either." shrugged Lucy. The goth then began scratching the back of her head. "I kind of ask like a downer all the time, even when you don't ask me anything. And though most of my surprise appearances are due to me just being able to blend with the shadows involuntarily, I'd be lying if I said I don't use that skill to scare you on purpose sometimes."

"I'm kind of the other way around. Always going on with jokes and pranks, and I say it's to brighten up your day, which is true, but often, I'm the only one laughing." admitted Luan, akwardly smiling while twiddling her thumbs. "I kind of force my way in sometimes, using you as guinea pigs for my routines, and showering you with puns. And April's Fool Day, it's... yeah, let's just say this is a time where you feel _March_ ing just _May_ not be enough ! Hahaha... um, get it ?"

"I give it a 7." noted Lola, inexplicably raising a card with said number on it.

"Yes !" fist-pumped the clown teen.

"And I do tend to make plans to get you girls out of the way, just so I can have fun. I promote teamwork, but I can be the most selfish sometimes." counted Lincoln with a heavy shrug. "I mean, remember the time I won that 'Limo for a day' contest ? Lori, you were litteraly the first one to say that I should be allowed to enjoy it, seeing how I was the one to eat all that mustard. And boy, I didn't repay that kindness very well, did I ?"

Luna softly patted her brother's shoulder. "It stung, bro. But you made it up to us, and we accepted your apology. Of course, the burgs, limo and mustard helped sweeten the deal quite a bit."

"The seats were so comfy, and the AC was the perfect temperature. Truly, the ride of a princess." reminisced Lola, her eyes glimmering with dreams, but it was quickly followed by a scornful frown. "If only some people hadn't thought it'd be a good idea to cover the seats in mustard to slide on them."

Lana and Lynn crossed their arms, and turned their noses up. "We have absolutely no regret."

The siblings chuckled mirthfully, with even Lola joining in, and for Lori to put on a small smile. Seeing this improvement, Lincoln decided to act up, and tenderly took Lori's hand. "See ? We aren't perfect. That's okay. And you aren't perfect either. But that's okay too, because we don't expect you to be perfect. I think we'd prefer Naggy Lori than Boring little miss-perfect."

"Hey. Only I can say I'm naggy." harumphed Lori, getting a few giggles around her.

"And that's our Bossy big sis, the one we know and love. Not gonna lie, we were a bit afraid back when you pushed the meanness off the charts. But despite the times we called you out for it, we truly believed that one day, you'd stop being angry. Most important, we never stopped considering you our big sister. Even through that crankiness, you gave us proofs that you loved us, however sparse they could be."

"I... I did ?"

"Heck yeah !" bounced in Lana. "That roof story happened **before** you apologised, and that's what made us know that you were 100% still in there."

Lori looked at the ceiling for a moment, reflecting on this. As she did, memories began to resurface. Small sanctuaries of calm and tenderness during those infernal years, ones she had delivered, without any obligation. Heck, she even _used_ that rage for good reasons, like that guy who had dared toying with Leni's heart. The Queen Bee had become a swarm all on her own that day, and made sure those sting marks would stay for a _loooooong_ time...

Lori tightened her lips, and let the waterworks slowly do their job, slowly emptying the reservoir of guilt and sadness inside her heart, as her SOUL appeared and began to shine, which echoed with her siblings' own, almost like the moment she had put on the little ribbon, still fashionably resting atop of her head. "I-I... I don't know what to say, I... After what I've done, you..." She then spoke the faintest of voices. " _You really want to put your trust in me again ?_ "

"No, we won't." sternly said Lincoln, taking Lori by surprise. But it was quickly followed by nine warm smiles in her direction. "Because we never stopped trusting you. You're our leader, our big sis, and above all, a _Loud_. And no Loud gets left behind, not now, not ever. You taught us that well. You'll teach us more, and we'll teach you in return. United under _your_ leadership, we know we'll get back home. So don't cry sis, because yes, we trust you, just as much as we love you."

Any trace of the weighing despair that had been devouring Lori's SOUL was no more. All the blonde knew now was pure, unbridled joy. All dams broke lose, and two tidal waves of tears assaulted Lori's cheeks, which were tightened in the biggest smile that the Loud had smiled since her arrival here. Pain miraculously went numb across Lori's beein, and she wasted no time in wrapping her arms around as many girls and boy that she could get. The kids quickly helped in her endavour, and caught her into their signature family hug, nuzzling, laughing, crying tears of joy, and plain out proving through gestures how much they loved their sister, and how much she loved them in return.

 _What ?! I'm not crying ! I simply have something- oh wait, that joke's for later..._

The heartwarming scene seemed to last forever in the ten children's mind... but only about thirty second in reality, before like the effects of a certain star, her invulnerability to pain stopped, causing her to wince and fall back, with her siblings catching her once again.

"Yeah, maybe the hug could've waited. We're not exactly in tip top condition either." amended Luan, having some difficulty standing up.

"Pain is but a part of life, destined to come to us at any moment." recited Lucy, seemingly unfazed. Then she crossed her arms behind her back, and practically hissed like a bat. "But yeah, it brought the whole luggage this time around."

"I hear that. Even talking makes my jaw ache." said Lori with a tired, but joking tone. She gratefully smiled at each of her siblings. "But seriously guys, thank you. This was exactly what I needed to hear. You can bet that I won't let your trust be wasted, I'll finally do what's right for all of us."

"As will I."

The siblings turned around, and saw Toriel near them, still holding Lily in her arms. The baby had rejoined her favourite activity, nibbling on Toriel's ear. The sound of the woman's voice and the smile she sported meant only one joyous thing for the Louds.

 _Goat Mom was finally back !_

"Goat Mom !" cried out the twins, immediately tackling their fluffy authority figure and nuzzling her robes profusely. While Toriel managed to take the tackle without much reaction, she almost lost footing when the much heavier Leni did the same. But the woman simply accepted the affection wholeheartedly, and once that was done, she adressed the humans with a warm and slightly guilty tone.

"Children, I commend you for your patience in putting up with my antics, and owe you the most sincere of apologies. You had to endure the consequences of choices and actions that you had no fault in. And in the end, you were hurt by being in the crosshairs and rantings from the lunacy of an old lady. * _Sigh_ *, it was so wrong of me to inflict you any of that, and I feel I must make up for it. That is, if you are ready to grant me forgiveness..."

The answer did not lose a second in coming, in the form of a lot of happy chit-chat. "Of course we do !" "Hell yeah !" "Most certainly." "Apology accepted !" "A chilling yes."

Toriel sighed in relief, thoroughly content that she had been pardonned. "Then allow me to repay them." she said, a familiar magic green blaze surrounding her paws, that she passed over the ten youths' heads. Progressively, burns and injuries vanished altogether, and the kids felt their tiredness being washed away, almost as if they had gained a new energy.

"Ah yeah, that's the stuff !" happily exclaimed Lynn, stretching her limbs with delight.

"Finally, I can carry the weight of the world on non-sore shoulders again. Joy." monotoned Lucy, but clearly sounding relieved to those who knew her.

"That is one way to _cool_ things off ! Hahaha !" cracked Luan, earning eye rolls and a little chuckle from Toriel. The latter made the comedienne sigh contently. "It's good to have your audience back."

Lori _litteraly_ bounced back on her two feet, and gave her neck a little crack or two. "It's good to _be_ back. And it's great to have you back, Goat Mom."

Toriel supressed a giggle, and brought her unoccupied paw on the eldest blonde's head. "I feel quite silly to have left in the first place. But now that I am back, I shall grant a true answer to your question. There is indeed an exit lying beyond this door, one that can take you back to the surface, to your loved ones. And now that you have proven me that you have the **determination** to accomplish this quest, I grant you freedom to pass those doors."

"For real ?" excitedly asked Lincoln. Toriel answered with a nod, and cheers immediately rose up, Lincoln especially. It looked like they had found the good ending to this section.

"Ooh, ooh, I've got a question !" piped in Leni, flapping her arm in the air. "That's all nice and stuff, but like, do we really have to go now ?"

Lisa felt the urge to facepalm at what she considered another one of Leni's simple-minded episodes. "After the turmoil we've been through, I think validating the reasons for which we did it would be appropriate."

Leni took a second to absorb all the big words, and pursued. "No, not like that. What I mean is..."

* _GROOOWL !_ *

All non-furred hands fell to their respective stomachs, and blushes appeared around the room. "... I think lunch would be nice before that."

Lisa akwardly cleared her throat. "You bring a valid point here, my apologies."

Toriel softly gasped. "Oh dear, lunch already ? Well, I suppose one last meal wouldn't hurt..."

"Actually, I think we should take a bit longer than that." chimed in Lori with a knowing grin. "We can't venture in the unknown without a little bit of organising first. We'll need some food, water, extra clothes, toilet set, and maybe a little souvenir or two."

"Yeah, you've always got to be prepared. Except for the toilet set, I can live without it just fine." remarked Lana.

"Yeah, but we'll probably be sleeping in the same room. So bath time's still mandatory, little dudette." gently admonished Luna.

Toriel clapped her hands, while making sure Lily wouldn't fall down. "That is a splendid idea, my child. The area waiting for you is quite cold, so I managed to acquire some winter clothes for you. I'd say it's because I figured out you'd be staying indefinitely, but perhaps in the bottom of my heart, I knew this day would come. And of course, I'll wrap you a nice pie to enjoy for this long trip."

"Butterscotch-Cinnamon ?" asked Lola with shiny peepers.

Toriel giggled. "What else ?"

"YES YES YES !" yelled Lola, doing a little victory boogie.

"Pie ! Hehehe !" cooed Lily, bouncing in Goat Mom's arms as if it was Christmas time. She then crawled her way onto the woman's shoulders, rested her little head between the two short horns, and lightly pulled on the long white ears. "Mush, mush !"

Even Lucy couldn't resist a heartfelt "Awww" at the adorable display, and Toriel especially did so. She'd certainly miss those little moments...

"Well, you've heard the cavalier. Onwards it is." jested Toriel.

"Um, Goat Mom ? I know it's kind of akward at my age, but... can I take your hand ?" shyly asked Lori, as if wanting to thank Toriel for what she had taught her. For one, the glare she was adressing to the little sniggering smart guy and gals.

Toriel on the other hand, looked positively delighed by the offer. "Of course my child, you don't need to ask." she chuckled, and took Lori's hand. The blonde felt butterflies in her stomach at the warm touch.

"Dibs on taking the other one !" uttered Lincoln, quickly touching his nose. The others reacted a split-second later, but a split-second too late as well, prompting defeated groans and some booing. "Yes ! It's about time I won one of those !" The boy then proceeded to proudly take Toriel's left paw.

"No fair ! If you get to take Goat Mom's hand, then I take yours !" decided Lana with a small grin, and immediately did so.

"And I get to take Lori !" said Leni, touching her ear.

"Dudes, let's form chains ! Everyone gets to be linked to G.M. !" proposed Luna, quickly meeting universal approval. In the blink of an eye, all Louds had completed the human chains, with the oldest at Toriel's right, and the youngest at her left.

Now feeling ready to go, monster and humans departed from the small room where so much had happened and not happened, ultimately fated to come back again for a final good-bye. For now though, they would all get a little respite, and enjoy those last moments in eachother's company.

And that was fine with Toriel. She didn't fear loneliness anymore, and she finally felt confident in letting them go. What a heavenly feeling that was. Toriel decided she'd make the most out of those few moments left, and then she'd be ready to say good-bye to those wonderful children. Their mother was a lucky woman, for sure.

All in all, for what had been quite some time, Toriel felt free. And perhaps the thought wasn't just a thought, but a sensation as well. Feeling the warmth of their SOULs through their physical link with her, and looking at them trailing around her...

 _They almost resembled the wings of an angel._

* * *

 **Author's note : I LOVE HAPPY ENDINGS !**

 **And there you go ! As you can see, the Ruins Arc is not yet finished, but it will be in the next chapter. And you know what that means after that... or do you ? You see, I was asked to do a little interlude to see how things were going on the Surface, to have other characters interract with the news of the Loud kids' disappearance. And while that does sound nice, I'm not quite sure how to handle it, seeing as it would mean doing it for every Arc ending.**

 **What do you think ? Should I do that, or get to the next Arc as soon as possible ? Don't hesitate to throw in your opinion, as well as some ideas you'd like to see in future chapters. Who knows, I might just add them. Just make sure it's not an ask for an AU or for Genocide. For the last time, I'm not touching those !**

 **Don't hesitate to feed the author with a juicy Review, and until next time, this is Superdimentio77, telling you to keep calm, things will get good soon. And if they are, then they'll become even better !**

 **Buh-bye~**


	9. Ruins, Part 7 (End)

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 1 : Ruins**

 **Part 7 : Gates of Hope, Roots of Fear**

 **Author's note : (* _On a stage_ *) Hey guys, it's me, Superdimentio77 ! **

**(* _Passionate cheers from audience*_ ) **

**That's right, and I'm back with an early chapter of LOUDERTALE !**

 **(* _Even more passionate cheers_ ) **

**But, um, the chapter's a bit shorter than the last ones.**

 **(* _Silence*_ ) **

**And it... also doesn't feature the Skelebros right away.**

 **(* _Ducks under lectern to escape intense booing, followed by a tidal wave of bones, hot-dogs, and plates of spaghetti*_ )**

 **Hey, I told you I wanted to end the Ruins Arc before ! Gotta give Toriel a proper good-bye, because as you can probably guess, she won't reappear for quite some time. But next stop, everyone's favourite duo ! I swear it ! Also, I would like to thank everybody for your kind reviews, and announce that as for now, I WON'T do any interludes. I just don't think they'll be necessary in the long run, and I'd like to stay focused on the sibs and their monster pals.**

 **But enough waiting ! I've got a pie in the oven, and I can't let that meddlesome canine take it from me ! So enjoy !**

 **Neither of the Undertale or Loud House franchises or characters are mine. I'm but a mere peasant taking the scraps, and having way too much free time to put them together into something decent enough to read.**

* * *

After a copious meal made of surprisingly tasty slug petits fours and an escargot brioche, Toriel and the kids spent the next two hours to have as much fun as they could, to build as much fond memories as they could. Toriel got to participate in many activities, one dedicated to each of the Louds during the first hour :

-Tea ceremony and iddle chit-chat with Lori. ("My face on a pizza, can you imagine ? So romantic, my Boo-boo bear..." fawned Lori dreamingly.)

-Sewing session with Leni, with not a single finger prick and eleven fuzzy scarves sewed in a matter of minutes.

-Karaoke with Luna. ("We could live together, walking on, walking on the moon !" smoothly sang rocker and caretaker.)

-Comedy act with Luan. ("That's what I'm asking, who's on first base !" yelled Lincoln to Luan, as Toriel drowned in hysterical giggles),

-Small baseball game with Lynn, which had to be delayed at first, because of Toriel going on a second round of incessant snorting and laughing.

-Comic tales from Lincoln. ("And that's when Muscle Fish realised that the Sea Witch was none other than his long-lost mother !" taled Lincoln, his audience gasping in shock.)

-Chilling but moving poetry with Lucy ("The revery alone will do, if the bees are few." finished the young goth with an unusual shaking fist of passion. Toriel felt like life made a little more sense somehow.)

-Feeding Diego and piggyback rides with Lana. The little dirt monkey had to admit, Toriel's bursts of speed were something to behold. Best ride ever, though.

-Tea party with _Princess_ Lola. For some reason, Toriel seemed a little pale when referred to as 'Queen Toriel'.

-Debates over magic and its science with Lisa ("So you're telling me that instead of falling down the esophagus, Monster Food is absorbed by it, and redistributed through the entire body ? But how could sheer matter ever accomplish such an impossible... * _Pause*_ Never mind, I believe I have answered my own question.")

-And block-building with Lily, who'd quickly become Lilyzilla afterwards, taking down entire structures in the most destructive and adorable way possible.

During the second hour, the fun was decided to be more collective, and after many ideas including American Football, quiz, mud-wrestling, and picking up trash ("Not this kind of collect, Leni."), it was decided to be a board game, or rather a card one, with Toriel owning a certain colorful human deck of cards that the Louds found in a little shop accumulating a weird amount of human junk. It was a game of _Ein!_ , but the monsters called it _Colours, Numbers, and other weird signs : The Game !_. Added to it were mysterious pink cards with a square-shaped robot in different, sometimes rather suggestive poses. Go figure.

Thirty games, twelve instant victories, seven wrathful breakdowns, and one attempt to burn the deck later ("Go back to the hell from whence you came." chanted Lucy through grinded teeth, seconds away from throwing it into the chimney fire before being intercepted by her roommate and her brother.), Toriel left for a little time to gather the necessary supplies for the kids' depart. She apologised for it, but they seemed strangely eager into seeing her go for a little while, and kept winking so much at eachother, Toriel feared they were getting pink eye. But she eventually brushed it off, and went to collect the many essentials.

What did the Louds do in the meantime ? _Toriel would know very soon._

* * *

At last, Toriel and the Louds were back in the room of their battle. Sulphurous strikes still marked the walls, but they paid it no mind. It was in the past. But before the future could litterally open up for the children, Toriel made one last checkup through the backpacks she had offered them with ten of the kids standing before her, and Lily taking a little rest on top of her head, looking adorable as always.

"Very well, let us check that everything is right." stated Toriel in a tone that reminded their parents' before going on their annual trip to the Scratchy Bottom Campgrounds, which became mandatory since the dreary Summer of 2009, when four precious cans of insecticide had been forgotten. "Water ?"

"Check !" said Lincoln, showing a flask full of water as example.

"Toilet set ?"

"Check !" said Lynn, sorting hers while not forgetting to show that Lana had hers, despite how grumpy the little blonde looked about it, and how it had mysteriously disappeared for a time, to miraculously reappear under the pile of leaves before Toriel's house. What a coincidence, had been Lana's argument.

"Diapers ?"

"White as ever, but destined to be stained by the duties of nature and society." enunciated ever-inspired Lucy.

"Gold ?"

"Check." uttered Lori, bag of gold in her hand. Toriel had lent 100G to the children, just in case the money collected from future encounters turned out to be not enough. A glitter-loving eye was focused on this little full purse, practically drooling at it. "Also, phone here. Double-check."

"Pie ?"

"Wouldn't dream to go without it !" smirked Luna with the entire pie in her hand, carefully wrapped in a piece of cloth.

"Why do you get to keep all the yummy pie ?" complained Leni with a pout.

"It's because of the item equivalence, my child." explained Toriel once more to the confused blonde. "Each of those backpacks can contain up to eight items, no matter the size unless it goes well over the physical capacity of the bag. Keeping the pie whole means only taking one place, as if I had given you each a slice, it would've taken one spot in each of your backpacks."

Leni waited for the little Geo in her head to make the wheel spin fast enough, then reached a conclusion. "I don't get it, but I'll just accept it as it is." grinned the fashionista.

"Smartest move, Leni." praised Lisa with a nod. "But Goat Mom, I must ask, how are those bags capable of creating some sort of hammerspace ? What material confer such a power on those average-looking back transporters ?"

"Well, um..." hesitated Toriel. She knew Lisa would not appreciate her answer, but had to do so, agitating her fingers with a few sparkles escaping it. "Magic ?"

Lisa had to take a long breather through her nose to quell her rising frustration. She then adressed a fed-up look at the ceiling, and uttered her now redundant "Sure, why not ?".

Toriel carressed the child prodigy's head apologetically. "Alright, and finally-"

"We got our normal clothes !" cut in Luan jovially. Indeed, the Louds' usual clothes rested inside their backpacks, and the kids now sported winter outfits oddly resembling the ones they owned back at the surface. In fact, except for Lisa's yellow-lensed glasses being absent and the presence of Toriel's winged symbol on each of the outfits' back, those looked like a perfect copy, down to Luan's flower-shaped earmuffs and Lucy's cape. _Huh ? What do you mean, a lazy option ? I only intend to keep the show's integrity, nothing more._ "All folded to take only one spot in the bag. Yep, that's certainly a _wrap_ , hahaha !"

"How's about you keep your 'A-game' until we're out ?" stated Lucy dully, to which Luan responded with a tongue showing.

Toriel stiffled a chuckle and nodded. "Good, good. And I trust you didn't forget your souvenirs ?"

The Louds collectively took out said items. Lori had a cookbook with Toriel's favourite recipes, Leni had a hand-mirror with angel wings on the side, Luna had her trusty harmonica, Luan had a golden squirt flower, Lynn had her new football, Lincoln had a drawing where he and Goat Mom had drawn if they were superheroes (Toriel's main power : _Pie_ rokynesis), Lucy had the mysterious authorless poem book, Lana had a sweater knitted by Toriel (Perfect for cold nights and to keep lizards warm), Lola had a mini-version of Toriel's robes, and Lisa had a small encyclopedia named 'Monsters : How freaky can they get ?'. Here again, the author was not mentionned anywhere...

"Very good. Now..." Toriel reached out for Lily, carefully plucking her off her head. Lily began to whimper and toss, not at all willing to leave her warm fluffy matress. In her arms, Toriel delicately called to her. "Lily, dear ? It's time to wake up now."

Lily slowly obeyed, blinking herself awake. Confused at first, she rejoiced when she saw Toriel smiling down on her. "Hehehe, Goa' Ma'." giggled Lily, reaching for Toriel's ear.

Toriel positively beamed at this, and tried her upmost to keep the melancholia out of it. She let the toddler do as she pleased for a few seconds, then gently removed her ear from Lily's maw. The toddler complained at first, but fell silent once she was delivered into Leni's arms, and two items were presented to her, both very familiar to the baby. A squeaky hammer, and a smooth little purple blanket.

"Yes Lily, you get to bring those with you." soothed Toriel as she handed them to the ecstatic infant. "If anything scares you, or you feel sad, press one of those against your little heart, and it'll be like I'm here with you. Does that make you happy, sweetie ?"

"Blankie ! Tap-tap !" cooed Lily excitedly. She put the hammer inside her parka's pocket, and tucked the blanket inside her clothing itself. To constantly keep it against her, and feel reassuring memories of Toriel in it. But there was a little more to that, as both of the child items glowed a **cyan** hue, that made Lily's SOUL come out, followed by her brother's, then her sisters', basically repeating the processes of both of Lori's equipping. The tickling, yet comfortable feeling traversed the Louds' diminutive being sources, making them feel a little safer, and Toriel could only observe the processus with a curious gaze.

The SOULs soon returned to their owners', and Lincoln's narrative instinct took over once again, his eyes lightening up with crimson hue, and his voice gaining an almost ghastly underlining.

* _"You've equipped the Squeaky Mallet. ATK increases by 2. Violence could not be delivered more adorably."_

* _"You've equipped Blankie 2.0. Team DEF has increased by 3. The warmth of a mother in a single piece of cloth. Not to be underestimated."_

As humans acknowledged the change with content shrugs and "Nice !", Toriel's face gained shock. For a mere moment, she could've sworn that the boy had sounded like...

The Caretaker patted a paw against her forehead. It seemed that this battle had taken much more out of her than she had imagined. This simply could not be the case.

... _Could it ?_

Toriel decided to brush the thought aside in favour of giving Lily one last kiss on the forehead, that she accepted with delight. "Be nice, my little Lily, alright ?"

"Poo-poo." answered Lily with a small nod, acknowledging Goat Mom's question.

Toriel then took a step back, and offered a sad smile to the children in front of her. Those children that had opened up her world in more way than one, and had offered her seven of the best days of her long, long life.

"All is in order, I see." began Toriel. "Well then. I believe... this is good-bye. Or rather, a farewell. Children, I must ask of you this last request. Once you go beyond those doors... please, do not come back here." A chorus of "Why ?!" was about to be raised, but they quickly understood what their tearing-up Guardian meant. "I know it might seem unfair, but... I simply don't think I'll be able to let you go a second time. I hope you understand..."

The kids looked at eachother, and a small smile slowly drew itself on their faces. Lincoln shook his head, "We do. To be honest, we don't know if we'd be able to say good-bye a second time either."

"But still, we'll keep it a good-bye. Who knows what the future's got in store for the lot of us ?" winked Luna.

"Life's got a lot of dirt paths, and... um..." Lana thoughtfully scratched her head. "I kinda forgot what comes next. Only the dirt path stuck to me."

"Maybe if it should've been about ink, it would've _stained_ in your head longer !" chortled Luan.

Lucy's natural frown deepened a little. "Now even ink will remind me of those terrible puns. _Sigh_ , I only had so little, and yet gradually, it's taken away."

Luan squeaked with joy, only picking up one part of Lucy's rant. "You guys remember my puns ?!"

Lily answered her big sis' question by putting her hands against her ears, and blowing her trademark raspberry. Amused by the scene, Toriel pursued. "Your differences only strengthen your bond, it seems. I trust that you'll know how to make good use of that strength. And know that I'll be praying for your success every step of the way. It will be quite the adventure, but I'm positive that you'll managed to make it through." Toriel's encouragements warmed the children's SOULs, filling them with that _**will to never give up**_ once again. "Well, now I suppose is the time to-"

"Wait !" Leni raised her hand. "Like, we haven't given you your surprise yet !"

Toriel blinked, and the kids groaned in aggravation. "Well, her timing was only off by about 4.17 seconds." amended Lisa with a sigh. With that said, the Louds immediately gained their grins back.

"SURPRISE !" they all shouted, and reached inside their bags for their gifts to give.

Toriel softly gasped. She felt a bit guilty to not have expected it from them, but here she was. "Children, whenever did you get the time to craft those ?" she tentatively asked with a swelling heart.

"You seriously think we were twiddling our thumbs the whole time you were gone ? Well, maybe Lincoln could have. You should see him on lazy Sundays, reading nerdy comics in his room, almost as naked as a worm." jabbed Lynn with a chuckle.

Lincoln's face went deadpan, and shot back. "Suuuuure, because no one ever taught me the joy of hanging on your bed for an hour with nothing but your underwear on. Must've seen it on TV."

A pink hue appeared along Lynn's freckled cheeks, as she got a few mocking giggles. "I was like eight ! On a hot day of July ! How was I supposed to know it'd stick to him for the rest of his life ?"

"Well, you do know how to leave an impression. Physical, most of the time." advised Lori with a small smirk.

"Ah, touché."

"Alright, enough jabbering about gross sticky underwear !" interrupted Lola. "We've got gifts to serve out !"

"We go first !" loudly said Luna, the 'Rule of Dibs' securing her and Lucy's turn. Both cool and pale-coloured sisters approached their Guardian, who didn't seem quite sure what to expect, and delicately took the stack of papers from the small Goth's hands. "It's a little song we concocted for ya. Only took twenty minutes to write it, but the Great Voice of Rock'n'Roll spoke to me, and we got one heck of a conversation poured on paper !"

"And I added depth to it, as well as a few paragraphs to go with the character. Don't worry though, I tried keeping my usual state of mind in check. Some passages will be no more bittersweet than liquorice." quipped Lucy with a nod. She couldn't retain a small lip smacking at the mention of her favourite sweet. Or rather her favourite _sour_.

Toriel analysed the cover. ' _Ballad of a Lo_ _ **v**_ _ely Guardian_ ', with the 'v' glossing over a nefarious 'n'. Around the title were music notes, a few of them with bat wings, and three doodles on the bottom, of both the song's artists, and its inspiration. And right above them, an alternate title, ' _Home : Always sweeter with Goat Mom._ '

Toriel could feel the thought and heart put into it, and its fuzzy feeling wormed its way into her SOUL. But this was far from being over.

"Our turn !" Lana spoke up, exchanging a fist-bump with Lynn. The handygirl pushed on her tiptoes to put her present into Toriel's large paw. "We remembered the Trophy Case we own back home, and thought you could use one yourself. The Froggits were nice enough to give us some extra Gold they had, we used the clamp and chimney fire to melt it, and then the kitchen gloves to shape it ! Lynn was surprisingly helpful there."

The athlete shrugged pridefully. "I get trophies all the time, so I know how they look. And hey, those hours of intense boredom known as 'Art class' had to come useful at some point. But anyway, I hope that trophy will do as much good to you as mines did to me."

' _Monster Mom #1 : Toriel Goatmom_ '. That was what the small golden trophy's base described. Atop of it, was a reendition of the Underground's now iconic Winged Dot symbol, with two 'L's placed on the dot's front. On its back, was a thumbs up. On fire. Which instantly made it even cooler. Toriel carressed the piece with a gentle paw and glimmering eyes.

"A great gift for sure." praised Lola with a voice that announced gloating from a mile away. "Almost as good as me and Leni's masterpiece. Behold !"

Getting her cue, Leni proudly presented their gift. A very fashionable one of course, but one that also held heart. The extra-extra-large piece of clothing was none other than a sweater, its blue wool looking fluffy as a sheep without a single wild fabric string peeking out. On it, amongst waves of glitter, stood the words ' _Miss Goat Mom_ ', with hearts and pie sewings around it.

"Do you like it ? After what I said back then, I realised how mean it was to you. So here's your sweater, as promised !" beamed Leni radiantly. "It'll keep you comfy during cold days, or if your heating thingy doesn't work anymore. Or just for fun, it totes goes with everything ! Except burgundy, just not possible."

"I helped with the wool, morale, making sure that everything is spelled right, that the letters are in the right direction, and, naturally, added all the glitter I could find !" proudly declared the Loud beauty queen, but not in her usual 'Contest' way. More in a 'Ball of innocence' kind of way.

Toriel was at a loss of words here. The whole thing simply looked and felt lovely, with the palette of colours reflecting the eleven Human SOULs in the title's spelling, and the white hearts mirroring her own. But before she could weigh in her emotive opinion, ' _Loud-mas_ ' resumed with greater intensity.

"This one results of a triumvirate effort." announced Lisa, as she, along with Lincoln and Luan, delivered their piece, in the form of a small red book. "We thought of trying to remind you the good times we spent together through a collection of images. We managed to acquire a book, but had to improvise when we remembered that we had not taken true photos with you. So, we got inventive. With the help of the wide memory storing permitted by my cortex..."

"And my drawing skills, we recreated the best of the best." said Lincoln, shaking his right sore hand. Fourty pictures in a matter of minutes came with a steep price, but an endearing one as well.

"And _I_ added funny titles, so you'll fully get the _picture_ !" guffawed the comedienne. She opened the book to show an example.

On the left page, was a picture of Toriel sitting in her chair, visibly giving Lily a rodeo lap while holding a book, no doubt adding action to the tale. Around her, sat the Louds, and all had ranging expressions, most of them being shock. A set of face shared by the counter herself, as she saw the result of her knee getting too much invested in the story, with Lily bouncing her way to the ceiling, looking like she hadn't a care in the world.

The picture was entitled : ' _A_ knee _t little story, soaring_ high _!_ '

On the right page, was a drawing of Karaoke Night, with what was probably the funniest moment of the evening. The kids had dressed Toriel as a rapper, with Lana's cap in reverse, sunglasses, even a golden chain with the words ' _Hot Mama_ ' embed in the middle. And through Luna's harmonica and Lucy's metronome-precise finger snapping, Toriel delivered the hardest, yet most polite of slams, reducing all humans surrounding her into tears of hilarity. Some even came close to pee themselves, and none of them were Lily.

The picture was entitled : ' _Goat Mom's got the_ bleat _!_ '

Toriel giggled at both of the memories, and made a mental note to check all of those drawings as soon as she could. This would certainly be a nice re-reading for every night she'd feel loneliness make its dreary comeback.

"And now, the last one." announced Lori with a small excited grin.

"Dabla gah !" clapped Lily with joyous fervour.

"' _Saved the best for last !_ '" chimed in Luan, dependable translator.

Lori carefully plucked the small item from her bag. The socle fit just right in her hand. "This was Lily's idea. She wanted to make the best thing she could think of about you. And since her answer to that was ' _everything_ ', this was the result. Lily made the modelling all by herself, and all I had to do was to colour it, and glue it to the base." She deposed the gift in Toriel's hand with a fond smile. "Hope you like it."

The gift was indeed a little statuette of Toriel, but not exactly a perfect likeness of her. While the base was great, and the colours were on point, including a flawless representation of Toriel's robe symbol, the form was, for the lack of a better word, quite clunky-shaped. The Goat Mom was short and stout, hanging her slightly twested arms on the sides like she was immitating an airplane, one of her hands were bigger than the others, her horns looked like two white sugared almonds, and her comically bulging eyes were facing two different directions.

In Toriel's tearing eyes though ? It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever witnessed. This thoughtful gift, added to the just-as-amazing other four, filled Toriel with so much joy, the poor woman was barely holding herself together from another dam breaking. But knowing that it would not make this good-bye any easier if she began to cry like a baby, in front of a baby moreover, Toriel held it back, quickly getting rid of any stray tear trying to come out.

"I... I cannot be thankful enough. I did not think I could be even more grateful to have rescued such kind hearts. You, more than anyone, deserve to find your way back home." pledged Toriel passionately.

The Louds felt proud of themselves at the moment. Operation ' _Give-Toriel-a-super-nice-gift-before-we-go-so-she-can-remember-us-forever-and-also-think-of-a-shorter-name-for-this-operation_ ' had been a rousing success. Feeling fully at peace, they could now-

"Wait." cut in Lori, her tone calm and controlled. "Before we go, there's something I'd like to say to you, Toriel."

Putting all her wonderful gifts on the side, Toriel held all ears to catch what the eldest Loud sister, and her most faithful student, had to say. "Yes my child ? What is it that- oh !"

The reason for Toriel's soft gasp was her surprise when Lori closed the gap in the blink of an eye, and tackled Toriel in a tight hug. The blonde left sniffles as she rubbed her face into her silky, delicate robes.

" _Thank you._ " whispered Lori, her murmur holding a powerful honesty like no other. "Thank you for _everything_. I * _hic_ *, I'll make you proud, I promise. We'll never forget you, _**Goat Mom**_."

They said that example should be given by the eldest sibling, and that's exactly what happened there, as all the Louds jumped on the occasion to engulf their adored Goat Guardian into a circling, constricting, but ultimately warm and loveful group hug. The smaller ones were even given a boost by the oldest to be able hug Toriel's head, and tell her how much they loved her.

This warm cluster of love and fondness, the energy of eleven youths flowing inside her like a soothing ode of positivity and wonder... _Gosh_. Of all the things Toriel was gonna miss about those kids, this would get the first spot with the most absolute certainty.

Not able to keep the tears from flowing this time around, Toriel managed to squeeze out of her throat, "You'll be good, won't you ? My sweet children."

"WE WILL, _**GOAT MOM**_." answered said group in perfect unison through their own sets of tears, enjoying every extra second of hugging Toriel's soft and welcoming coat.

But as much as they all wanted this moment to last an eternity, they knew that it wasn't how this worked. With both reclutance and acceptance, monster and humans broke the hug. None of them dared to drop the smile carressing their cheeks. With a wave of her hand, Toriel opened the doorway, revealing a corridor stretching towards a dark entrance. And with another wave of her hand, she sent them on their way.

"Fare... no, _good-bye_ children."

"BYE !" the kids waved back from the other side, as the doors slowly closed on their own.

And in a clattering _Boom_ , it was over. Seven wonderful days filled with mirth and laughter, had simply ended. Once again, the Motherly Monster was left all by herself inside her home, dust books and dustier memories as only companions. But something quite unexpected happened to Toriel here. Instead of this separation leaving her even more distraught than the six ones before, she instead felt hopeful about it. There wasn't an ounce in regret she could feel in the decision she had just made. The mere fact of thinking what would have happened if she had carried her threat all the way, and to see hate passing through those children's faces. It only served to convince Toriel that while this hadn't been the easiest choice, it had certainly been the best.

Toriel collected each of the gifts at her feet, and went back upstairs. As she scaled the steps, she listened carefully at the lack of noise echoing around the house, prompting a... _nostalgic_ sigh out of her. They'd said that they'd never forget her, a promise shared not only by the previous six humans, but by her as well, in a way. Those gifts were the last to enter in her possession, but they certainly weren't the first.

She then walked along the corridor, gave a wistful eye towards the red room now shrouded into obscurity, and entered her own room. The odd placement of her diary on her small desk indicated that Lori had indeed taken a peek inside it. But the page being shown also indicated that she hadn't seen the most... secretive parts of her story. It... was better this way.

But though Lori and Lily had searched her room, a thin veil of dust revealed that they hadn't found a certain element of the light blue room, the most prized moreover. Taking a firm grip on the mirror above her dresser, Toriel removed it from the wall, revealing a perfectly cubic hole behind it. And in that secret shelf, there they stood. The six previous gifts... _and two extra_.

First, was a little golden flower. But contrary to the ones in the little field at the start of the Ruins, a place Toriel would regularly go to check on signs of a falling human, and tend... something else, this flower had a mysterious blue bud. Being her favourite colour, the kind little girl had picked it up for her Caretaker, even though it had taken her fifteen minutes to get the strong stern to crack. And after all those years, the flower was still there, as if waiting _patiently_ for a visit.

Next to it, was a small Champion belt. That tyke, whose energy had no boundaries, had apparently won it in a Junior Wrestling Contest, not the most official though. But a victory was a victory, he'd concluded with a puffed chest. Still, he'd wanted her to have it, saying that he'd win hundreds like that, and when he'd become a champ, he'd come back to collect it as his ultimate prize. Years had passed, and the rust on the belt had not dimmed its _valiant_ glimmering by an inch.

Delicately put under the belt, was a pink ribbon band, flowing majestically even as it rested on the shelf. On its silky band, was an autograph, one that the rather eccentric dancer had described as 'the first in a long line, and would soon be worth this house's weight in gold'. But though she'd tried to pass it as such, a kind message on the other side of the ribbon only showed the _integrity_ behind all those strass and glitter.

The next gift rested soberly against the wall. At first glance, it looked like to be but a simple pen, and in a way, it was true. The pen wasn't armed with a digital picking lock, a super strong laser shooting from its tip, or a Wi-fi routeur installed in it. But one noteworthy thing its bespectacled owner had added was a special ink that, if you ever almost ran out of, could only be mixed with water to resplendish the pen's capacity to its maximum. It had taken a lot of tries and failures to manage such a breakthrough, but the child behind it had certainly been not known to be running low on _perseverance_.

Amongst the biggest items in there, only second to another one, was a chef's hat. Puffy on top, and straight but soft as it went down to the bottom, where stood the name of its friendly, hard-working, and... late owner. Toriel could still remember it perched atop his head, as he would be behind the stove, concocting delicious meals, and would tip his hat every time he would taste Toriel's scrumptious pies. And most of all, she could still remember the smile resplendishing of _kindness_ , as he would hand the hat to her as a way to remember him by.

And last of the pack of six, small but certainly not shy, was a golden star badge. The teen didn't care how old-fashionned or flashy the star could look upon first encounter, she'd harbour it with pride and solace. It had apparently been given to her by a friend to complete her outfit designed to show her will to continue her father's work as a rigourous, but _just_ officer of the law. But even though dear to her, the lass felt more than obliged to give it to Toriel for what she had done, dubbing her ' _Constable Toriel, Ruins' section_ '. She had chuckled back then, but the woman felt proud of the made-up title.

Already those gifts oozed of happy and cherished memories, with Toriel still feeling a mere fragment of their aura and personality in them. But although those gifts held a dear place in her heart, her pick had to go to the two _extras_ standing in the back. The Goat Guardian gave them a little sweep with her paw to get any speck of dust off them.

On the left, resided a drawing. It represented four people : A daddy, a mommy, and two children, all happily holding hands under the sun, with a colourful house surrounded with flowers in the background. On the top of the drawing, was a title, ' _Our Future Home !_ '. The artist's signature next to it was enough for Toriel's eyes to well up.

On the right, rested a folded sweater. The dark pink article of clothing looked a bit scrambled, with some stitches being crossed and hairs pointing out. But none of that had fazed Toriel a bit when she had received it. She even said that it gave it its charm ! The sweetest part though, had to go to the letters stitched on it. ' _Miss Queen Mom_ '. So many memories of that day, so many tears...

Toriel quickly wiped her sleeve against her eyes, and proceeded to add the new arrivals to her collection, while making sure that none of the articles got overshadowed by the others. It was almost like a puzzle game, and the irony of it forced a chuckle out of the monster. She took extra time to rearrange all of them in such a manner that they...

* _Ting_ *

Her progress ceased when her finger brushed against something. The _ninth_ item. One that she had made sure _would_ stay out of sight, as the mere fact of saying brought an acidful memory to Toriel. But despite how much it irritated her, Toriel simply could not see herself throwing it away. As much as this single memory held a deadly sting, the meaning of so many years ago behind it, as well as the flow of memories poured in it simply had too much importance in Toriel's eyes and SOUL.

Hence why the _ **chipped teacup**_ still held its place in the collection.

Looking at all those items, and especially the last one, the Goat Monster was reminded of the choice that those children would have to do. And though she thought that she had erased any trace of sympathy for that man, she couldn't help but hope that they would find a third option on their way. Toriel could be angry, spiteful towards somebody.

" _Hohoho ! And here I thought nothing could be quite as charming as your face, but I must say your laugh is just on par. What do you say we carry on this conversation in front of a warm cup of tea, hm ?"_

 _But hating someone ? In spite of everything, she simply could not._

* * *

And in a clattering _Boom_ , it was over. It was the last time they'd get to see their guardian for a long time, at least. The Loud Kids certainly seemed afflicted by this, with sadness appearing on each and every face. But as they moved forward, and as the purple walls became clearer and clearer, so did their demanours.

"Man, I'm gonna miss her..." uttered Lana, her words mirroring what was on everyone's minds.

"We all are. But the best choice is not always the easiest. And I think we did choose the best option." spoke Lori truthfully, flickering a tear away while keeping a fond smile. Said smile quickly spreaded out.

"And hey ! At least we left with smiles on our faces, that's gotta count for something !" quipped Luan.

" _Sigh_ , I think I must be losing my touch. Because I actually _enjoyed_ this happy good-bye." pouted Lucy, not too keen in admitting all those emotions to run boss inside her dark little heart. Her real one, not the yellow parasite.

"Well, think of it as a bittersweet ending, and keep your mind on the bitter part." offered Lincoln as conslation.

"Hmm, that works, I guess..."

"Man, can you guys believe we're finally going to see the rest of the Underground ?" whistled Lynn thoughtfully, a rare sight to behold. "Who knows what weird stuff or people we're going to meet ? I wonder if they've picked up on sports, or even invented their own !"

"While I'm normally not too interested in those practices, knowing more about their ways to entertain could help me depict Monster's culture in a better light." lisped Lisa to add in her two cents. "Those Monsters also don't seem to be ignorant in terms of science. With the addition of this 'Magic', the possibilities could be pushed to their limits, possibly even realising scientists' wildest dreams !" she exclaimed giddly. "After all, if we can harbour a power that allows us to cheat Space and Time, surely a new way of energy is not too much to ask for."

"I wonder what kind of fashion monsters have." chirped Leni with curious glee. "Like, there's gotta be more than Toriel who needs clothes all the time. I wonder if they've got sandals or something, or even shoes. And if not, I get to be the first to make some ! Yay, Leni Pignon will finally be real !"

"Well **I** can't wait to go to the King's Castle ! A true fairy-tale castle to stroll in, as the princess that I am ! And where there's King, Gold and jewels ain't too far away ! With maybe some hunky guards in armour to protect their princess..." giggled Lola dreamingly, imagining herself be sweeped off her feet to be kissed by the Captain of the Guard, who had a face not unlike a certain british college student...

"Yeah, but this the Monster Kingdom. The guards will probably have Fish faces or something !" guffawed Lana. Immediately, the dreamy face of Lola's daydream legionary morphed into the one of an old mackerel, with his big green lips sucking on Lola's own face.

The princess immediately shrieked in disgust, and adressed a scornful stare at her twin. "Can't my hunky daydreaming be spared of your grossness ?!" she berated heatedly. The action however only got the messier twin to start chuckling, which infectedly passed on to the other siblings. The round of laughter got so intense, even Lola eventually joined in.

The Louds took a moment to regain their breath as they reached the end of the hallway. Wiping a tear away, Luna spoke up mirthfully. "Y'know what sibs ? Whatever comes our way, we'll just be moving with the flow, like we did before. Every little thing will be alright, as long as we never get to meet-"

" _Well well well, aren't we looking all proud and sunny ?_ "

 _Speak of the devil, and he might show his roots_.

The Louds' hearts would have jumped out of their throats if they hadn't frozen over what they had just heard. Pangs of cold fear suddenly assaulted them, as none of their brains needed a second thought to recognize this dreary, smug voice that had been invading their nightmares and anxious head-whips when something would seem moving just out of their vision.

The kids slowly turned to look straight ahead, and felt something very... déjà-vu-ish with this room. A dark room all over, with a grand archwayed exit and a single patch of grass enlightened by a weird light. And in the middle of that patch, a single flower flashing its smile at them.

Only this time, there was no charrade to be played by the evil plant.

"Howdy fellas ! Looking swell, I see. Alive too, very good..." smugly began the flower with what could be best described as a _thorny_ grin.

The Loud band immediately tightened its formation, not leaving their enemy out of their sights for a second. Some didn't bother to hide their fear for him, while the boldest and most protective put on tight scowls only betrayed by a smidge of anxiety. The situation was not looking good, but they certainly would not curl into balls and wait for the Flower Monster to pick up their SOULs like in a Supermarket Alley.

"What are _you_ doing here ? Tired of stalking us already ?" spat Lynn with unhidden venom in every word she spoke. Her roommate's slightly trembling hand in her own only furthered her spite towards the yellow little demon.

"Aw, is that how I'm received ? Can't a good _friend_ pop up for a visit ?" chuckled Flowey mockingly.

"F-Friend ?! HA ! You're the furtherest thing we know that c-can be considered as a friend ! Lincoln's dirty underwear sounds a thousand times better than you !" threw in Lola with a mix of anger and shaking knees.

Flowey only chuckled more at this. "Golly, those flapping little jaws sure are something to behold." His grin then stretched across both ends of his face, two vines grew in front of him, his eyes grew empty, and his voice gained a demonic undertone. " _They'd look even more stunning with some shades of red, don't you think ? And maybe a few new holes as well !_ "

Lola squeaked in terror, and went back to hide behind Luna. The teen immediately dropped to hug the shaking six year-old, and gave the cackling monster a most coldest glare. Luna was pretty open-minded, but to take glee in frightening small children was one of the things that could set her anger levels off the musicboard in a matter of seconds, especially if said children were her siblings.

"Why are you _really_ here, Flowey ?" asked Lori with surprising calm, staying focused on her promise while still trying to understand why the Monster would pop up at this precise instant, while there had been way better occasions for him to attack earlier in the week. And it's not like he was catching them off-guard anymore... _or was he ?_

"I'm telling you, just popping in for a check-up on you guys. Oh, and to congratulate you as well !" chirped Flowey, bouncing on his stern.

"Truly ?" deadpanned Lisa skeptically.

"Why yes ! Down here, the way to go is KILL or BE KILLED. But you decided those weren't your rules, so you made up your own. And that allowed you to spare the life of one nice little old _hag_." sniggered the Flower with a flare of malice in the last word.

Likewise, a flare of irritation splashed across the siblings' expressions, not taking in too kindly the insult thrown against Toriel's good name. Lana even began to growl and show teeth like a dobermann seeing an intruder in their garden, but Luan kept her on leash. Even though nothing would make her happier than see her little sister gnaw rabbidly on him like a chew toy smeared in meat sauce. It helped that she had actually done it before to visualize the action.

Flowey pursued with ill will lacing his voice. "Well... that's not exactly true. You've been in more than one Fight, and despite everything, you didn't kill anybody. You _always_ managed to find the flaw to exploit in order to settle things peacefully. So, kudos Louds, you've managed to surprise me."

The kids couldn't help but feel a little smug over hearing the object of their infuriation admitting that he was wrong. "Yep, not killing someone is a thing. This light above you tells it all, since you must finally feel a little _brighter_." rubbed in Luan. She didn't use mean humour often, but it sure felt good when used against the right person.

"No really, you deserve a bravo for your success here..." Flowey kept going rather sweetly... but it didn't last. With a faint malevolent chuckle, that only grew by the second, Flowey's face and voice were back to threateningly malicious levels. "Hehehe... boy, you really expected me to say that, didn't you ? To blindly commend you like she did ? Oh, but you can't fool _this_ flower. You think I don't know what you did ? Or rather, hehehe, what _**she**_ did ?" sniggered the small devil while pointing a vine in Lori's direction.

The blonde took an uncertain step back, not liking where this was going. Then, to her horror and in a round of pops and cracks, Flowey's face morphed into an exact replicate of Toriel, that spoke with the exact same voice, down to the perfect pitch and intonation. And what _it_ spoke striked Lori right through her SOUL.

" _You murdered her~_ "

And to render the scene even more nightmarish, Flowey's Toriel face kind of _melted_ into a sick and deformed grinning caricature of her, and its voice mixed both Goat Mom's and Flowey's high-pitched demonic one.

" _ **And then you went back, because you felt**_ **bad** _ **about it.**_ "

A choked gasp escaped Lori's throat and dreaded guilt invaded her features, which only amused Flowey even further, who put on back his sharp and malevolent grin.

" _Boy, now you can believe me when I say you've surprised me back there ! Such anger, such will to harm and destroy... To be quite honest, I didn't think you had it in you, big gal ! Did you feel it ? That rush of power going through your veins ? I bet you did, and it must've felt so good, even for just an instant. Hee hee hee..._ " Flowey's pinprick-sized red pupils appeared, looking straight into Lori's own. " _ **Looks like we've got some things in common, you and me.**_ "

Lori almost retched what little she had inside her stomach upon hearing Flowey's last sentence. Fresh memories came rushing back in a torrent fashion, hitting Lori's mind where it still ached. The rush of anger and frustration delivered through her frantic hits. The peak of wrath when hearing Toriel was disappointed in her. The solemn pain in Toriel's gentle _broken_ smile, right before she crumbled into dust. And those visions reflecting her own self-loathing, before being replaced by the person she had now become congratulating her for this horrendous action.

Lori tried to banish the thought, but the facts still stood. For a mere moment, she had indeed taken pleasure into **killing someone**. Flowey was _**right !**_ Lori's thoughts kept spiralling out of control, with the never-quelling panic drilling its way into her small cyan heart. Her confession towards both Lily and her siblings had managed to heal up the fresh scars quite nicely, but those could never totally disappear, and the eldest Loud could feel them open again. The poor girl began to feel numb all over again, feeling as if she was drowning deeper and deeper...

 **But in her moment of weakness, somebody came. _Ten_ somebodies to be exact.**

Lori was shaken right out of her reverie by the feeling of Leni and Lynn firmly gripping her hands. Her vision slowly came back to see both blonde and brunette, along with one baby Lily smiling at her. Their grins oozed with forgiveness and understanding, sparking another set of recent memories inside Lori's brain. And the others weren't going to let this fire die out.

"Buzz off ! Lori isn't anything like you !" almost exploded Lincoln defensively, with a red flare appearing in his eyes... that destabilised Flowey for a second.

"You are nothing but a sad spirit that enjoys planting the seeds of doubt and fear into whomever he encounters. That's something even _I_ find disgusting." rebuked Lucy angrily. "Lincoln is right, don't think for a second you have anything in common with the power and love Lori has and gives."

"Guys..." murmured Lori, touched by those arguments in her favour.

"Lori's done goofed, it's a fact. But it's one that doesn't matter anymore !" argued Lana vehemently, shaking her small but hard fist along with her twin.

"Yeah ! Goat Mom's alright, and she clearly regretted her act, which is clearly more than we can say for you, seeing how peppy you were in trying to murder us !" added Lola.

"If you think you can try to knock our **leader** over without us saying anything, you're even more full of manure than we thought you were, dude." growled Luna, once again assuming her 'sister wolf' mode.

"Yeah, only Louds mess with Louds. Wanna know what we do to bullies in the family ?" Lynn cracked her knuckles with a dangerous grin. "You might not have a butt to kick, but don't worry. With a family as big as ours, creativity just comes naturally."

Jeers and protective threats continued to rise up, all before Lori's beffudled eyes. But... why was she ?! Her look steeled itself back together, and the doors of her SOUL cut the flow of negativity entirely. Why was she surprised at her siblings taking the stand for her, when they had litteraly done it three hours ago ?! And why, after all those sweet things that were said, was she doubting herself again ?!

Enough sobbing like a baby. **Lori Loud wasn't made of that stuff.**

"No. My siblings are right, I'm **not** like you." stated Lori with a strength that brought grins to her sisters and brother. "I may've done something of your caliber of bad, but everything else completely changes the stor. From the reasons I did it, to what I did afterwards. I was lucky to be given a second chance, and to gain one of the most valuable lessons that will probably follow me my whole life. So I _**litteraly**_ **refuse** to let one pathetic little psycho rob it from me ! So if you haven't anything nice, relevant, or even _smart_ to say, know that we've got a busy schedule that certainly does **not** involve you, and get LOST !"

The Louds' voices assembled in a single war-cheer, feeling themselves being filled with a power that only echoed more through their numbers. A feeling of invelnurability, of will above everything, of... _well, you're starting to get it by now, aren't ya ?_

When the general giddyness managed to calm down a little, Lisa felt the need to spite their tormentor a bit. She wasn't a strong believer in karma, but now felt to be the perfect moment to give some. "Well, as you can see, ' _friend_ ', we have no care for your threats and defamations. So please, I know that your diet does include dirt and animal feces, but there is no need to share it with us so much."

Leni grabbed the glove thrown by Lisa to add some spikes on it. "Ya, like, just go be cute and _quiet_ dancing into the sun with the other flowers. At least you'll have _something_ going on in your life."

"OOOOH SNAP ! Double burn from Leni AND Lisa ! Don't bother getting the pad, because this one's here to stay !" whooped Luan, prompting all the humans to laugh and exchange high-fives. Lily even chimmed in with a big raspberry for the flower, which immediately rallied all her older siblings into a concerto of noisy spit-spraying, and made them laugh even more. There simply could not be any more levity inside the Louds' minds at the moment.

The same certainly couldn't be said for the fuming little plant. To simply shake off his threats like mere mosquittos were one thing. But how DARED they laugh at him ?! Did they know not who he was ?! Were they completely ignorant to the kind of acts he had committed here underground ?!

Oh, wait... they were. The realisation made Flowey's frown disolve, and his mind pause in thought. They had no clear idea of who he was, what he had done, and the mechanics of what they had stolen from him...

A malicious smirk grew right back on Flowey's face. ' _Better get them up to speed right away then..._ ' he cackled internally.

Flowey cleared his... _throat_ , to get the kids' attention, and started his little smug speech. "Yes yes, that's all good and fine. Managed to get a lonely woman you love from the dead, all thanks to one neat little power. Oh yes, it sure is something. _THAT ability_ you kids got."

Slight confusion foggily appeared amongst the Loud kids. "That ability ?" Lincoln cocked an eyebrow.

Flowey's smirk became even bigger in the inside. "Indeed. _That_ power. The power to _go back_ whenever you please, solely through your **determination**. The power to mold the world as you please, to know and control every bit of it. The power of SAVE, LOAD, and RESET." The flower's grin and eyes widened with a certain fanaticism. " _The trinity that allows you to play_ **GOD**."

"Hold on there, play GOD ?" halted Lynn with incredulity. "I mean, it's a neat power, I'm the first to admit that. But seriously, egomaniac much ?"

"Hehehe, on the contrary, _Lynn_." purred Flowey, sending a chill down the brunette's spine, especially by the mere fact that he knew her name, basically confirming that he had indeed been stalking them for quite some time. "The possibilities that this power holds can be endless. And trust me, _I_ should know. Hmm, I can read from your faces that you must be asking yourself : ' _What is he talking about ?_ '"

"Like, what are you talking about ?" parroted Leni. Poor girl was already losing the thread of the conversation.

"Well, here's a small clue. Don't you find it weird that I know what Lori did to that old lady, while she herself doesn't ?" Surprised and confused looks on the Louds' faces indicated that Flowey had hit the bull's-eye. "Simple answer. That neat little ability you share ? It used to be _mine_ !"

The children gasped at the revelation, half-surprised at the fact that someone else knew of this power, and half-anxious of what that could imply. They hadn't seen much of Flowey yet, but to imagine a sadist run rampant with the power of turning back the clock was a thought that nobody was comfortable with.

Still, Lincoln managed to pick up one little detail in Flowey's way to say it. "Wait, what do you mean by 'had' ? You don't have it anymore ?"

Flowey faux-sighed. "Alas, no. It seems that your grouped Determination was enough to override mine. Heh, when I first learned that you had stolen this power from me, I was a tad... angry at y'all." said the monster with a dangerous gleam in his stare that got the Louds' stances to become even more rigid. "But that's all in the past ! Now I'm rather curious of what newcomers could do with this power ! Do you see all the possibilities offered to you here, hmm ?"

"...Getting to taste the best cupcake of all times twice ?" tried Lana from the top of her messy blonde head.

"Shortening by great lengths the time used in failed experiments to directly get to the solution ?" wisely added Lisa.

"Always having the reply that smacks down them haters from Eyetube comments ?" Luan grinned rather thoughtfully. Jesting was fun, but the comedienne drew the line when it came to plain and stupid cyber bullying. What kind of _modem_ were they setting up for the kids ?

"Yes, absolutely, bingo, and yet so much more !" expressed Flowey with dreamy glee. "Winning competitions becomes a sitch, enigmas and puzzles are now the basic equivalent of fitting a key through a doorhole."

"Again, sounds neat, but it kinda takes the fun out of the stuff. What's the point of winning if there's no challenge to begin with ?" grumbled Lynn.

Flowey scratched his chin with a leaf he had just grown. "Ah, good point. But as I said, possibilities can go so much further than that. Case in point : The answer to the biggest question of all time ?"

"What is love ?" chuckled Luna wistfully.

"Is eternal oblivion what truly waits us beyond the grave ? Just kidding, we all know it's coming." dryly quipped Lucy, getting the twins to take the teeniest step back from their ebony-haired big sis.

"Why is the line you take in supermarkets always the slowest ?" proposed Lori. The Louds immediately approved of the question with things like "Oh, that's a good one !" and "One heck of a mystery !", and even Lisa nodding her head.

Flowey sweatdropped, and his smile faltered. What was up with those questions ?! How random could those young idiots get ?! One thing was for sure, it reminded him of a **VERY** annoying someone, and that was enough to push Flowey to wrap up this thing as fast as possible.

"Well, no... The question I'm actually talking about is the big "WHAT IF ?" !" exposed Flowey with recovered passion. "When you remember something, pleasant or not, don't you ever wonder, 'What if I had done things differently ? What if I said that instead of this ? What if I had done this rather than that ?'"

Lola sighed rather crossly. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Flowey. If only I had seen this rotten plank, I'd have a 'Miss Cute and Sparkly' Golden Trophy in my closet instead of a Silver one. Stupid thing only reminds me of Lindsey's stupid smug smile when she took my precious prize from my mitts."

"I warned them though, but they never listen to the girl with the hammer." Lana shook her head.

"A fine example right there." commended Flowey with a big smile still. "But not what I had in mind. It's not about having a goal, it's about the many, many different reactions you'll get, all by a simple action on your part. Understand what makes every little thing budge, react, change, and then use those informations in the way that you, and only you, desire."

The Louds blinked in perplexed unison. Lincoln raised a finger, "Um, sounds really... complicated ?"

Flowey's cheeky smile seemed at its peak. The fun part started now ! "Don't be so close-minded about it, I can assure you it's a _wonderful_ experience ! Why, for example, you could decide to make all monsters your friends ! You talk with them, share moments with them, then head back to live those fun times again ! Even better, you can use the things you've learned from them to become even greatest friends ! It can go to the point where you know them even better than they know themselves ! And if there's an accident anywhere, you can make sure that they are prevented, and that everyone keeps going in the most joyous and fun atmosphere ! Harmony everywhere you go, and it's all thanks to you."

For the first time since the beginning of this discussion, good-natured smiles appeared amongst the Louds. Only Lucy kept a rather divided frown, there was only so much joy and harmony that the little goth could stomach.

"That sounds so sweet !" happily chirped Leni.

"A little corny too, but hey, if it means more weird monsters become our friends, why not ?" approved the small messy tomboy.

"Yes, how wonderful !" acquiesced Flowey, internally very proud of his acting skills here. Seriously, he didn't even rehearse that one ! If not for his plans and... condition, maybe he could've become an actor, certainly more talented than the pompous tincan those morons kept sucking up to. Oops, losing track, back in character. "And by the simple push of a button in your mind, you can do it all over again ! But..." Flowey's voice became 'pensive'. "That would certainly become a little boring after a while, wouldn't it ? Being nice to everyone in so many ways, but ultimately getting the same result, can get a little dull, don't you think ?"

"Like that guy who ate so many brownies, day after day, to the point where he couldn't even look at them afterwards. True story, dudes." counted Luna with a serious nod.

"B'ownie ?" Lily suddenly came to, having spent the last few minutes in her own little Lily world, and the mention of the delicious pastry immediately bringing her back to Earth.

"Yes, pretty much. But what are you to do then ? Being nice just doesn't get **anything** from you anymore. If it ever did at all..." Flowey murmured the last part to himself. "There simply must be something else you can do with that neat power. What if instead of being nice... you went the other way ?" Flowey slowly turned towards the Louds, his smile still in place as he lightly angled it to the side.

"What if instead of helping them... you **hurt them** ?"

"Uuuum..." hesitated the eleven youth warily. They weren't sure they liked where this little explanation was heading.

"I mean, it doesn't _really_ hurt to try, right ?" pursued Flowey as diligently as ever. "After all, with the simple push of a button, it's gone, as if it had never happened ! So you just do it, an innocent little jab to see how the monster reacts. Then, you must wonder this : 'What'd happen if I did this to another monster ?'. Then eventually... 'What if I hurt them some **more** ?'" A shading veil started to appear in front of Flowey's face, his smile slowly gaining a worrying edge. "So you... experience around the pain of those monsters. What do they say after each pellet thrown at them ? Will it impact them forever ? And how many can they **endure ?** Oh, that's a real nice question, yes. But maybe then you can push the test a little further..." A small chilling chuckle escaped Flowey's beaming face through its shadows.

" _After all, turning back the clock does mean you can bring them back to life, wouldn't you agree ?_ "

No answer. The Louds' mouths were either busy with chattering teeth, or starting to open in a tight grimace. All eyes were progressively widening in the sheer horror that was starting to bubble down their throats.

Their first thought was right. They _really_ didn't like where this was going.

"So, the **murder** test begins." continued Flowey, unperturbed. But his even tone progressively changed through the story, distorting and gaining a hungry edge to it at each sentence that passed. "At first, it's only a tiny little Whimsun, and taken down in a quick and painless strike. There is something new to it, you can feel it. It's almost intoxicating, that novelty. You then decide to do it again. And again. _And_ _ **again**_. But there again, hehe, you notice that there are so many ways you can make those _powerless_ monsters die in different ways as well. You can make it fast, _make it slow. Do it from behind a bush, or after a long and hazardeous battle, or even right at the end of an innocent conversation. Just like that, without them even sensing the danger being there. You can kill many in rapid succession, or you can make it_ _ **last. You can make sure to be as creative as possible, something I've learned you are quite good at. You can tear them apart, limb from limb, molecule by molecule. Make them CuRsE yOuR nAmE, bEg YoUr NaMe, ScReAm At ThE tOp Of ThEiR lUnGs To SiMpLy GeT tHe PAIN TO JUST STOP, NOT EVEN HAVING A CLUE THAT YOU'VE DONE IT THREE TIMES ALREADY !**_ " finally roared Flowey with the gusto of a true madplant. His face had become a nightmare to behold, with a smile that had somehow grown past the borders of his cheeks, wide eyes gleaming with pure madness, and a drooling tongue to signal his thirst for even **MORE**.

Then, with a small throat clearing, Flowey went back to his simple little grin. "And with the push of a button, everything's fixed and clean, leaving you free field to do it again. Or not, if you feel bored." shrugged the monster, as if Mass Genocide was simply not a big deal to him. Which might've been on point...

Horrified was proving to bean extremely weak term to describe how the Louds were feeling towards the petaled maniac at the moment. Even Leni had understood why Flowey knew so much about the dark facet of this power, and while Lily couldn't get most of it, the poor tot was still shaking with fear because of how scary the meanie plant sounded, looked, and even felt. Lucy was even looking paler than usual, and Lynn actually felt her knees tremble, not even bothering to save face. But nobody blamed her for that. The mere fact of imagining Flowey tearing apart innocent monsters, some of them probably _children_ , just for his **fun** , was enough for them to feel physically ill.

"Oh... Oh dude, you're sick ! You're actually sick !" bellowed Luna while holding her stomach, not feeling too keen on releasing what little she had left in her insides.

"Yeah, how could you be so, so... I don't even have a joke for that ! And I thought April Fools Me was bad !" whimpered Luan with tears in her eyes, all thoughts of comedy leaving her being.

"Y-You monster." whispered Lucy with a wavering tone. "I've read of demons and their carnages, and I was actually curious of the subject. But to hear that someone could actually go with it, you've changed my mind about them. To do such things, and counting them with a _**smile**_. Are you one of them ? A vile, **soulless** being that only finds entertainment in the suffering of others ?"

Flowey's floral body almost jolted, and his face seemed to freeze, leaving him with widened eyes and his mouth petrified in a tight line. "...Soulless ? You called me... _soulless_ ?... … Heh. Hehehe. Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee ! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ! _**BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !**_ "

The eleven siblings could only watch in silent terror their tormentor lose himself into a horrifyingly demented cackle. If they had any doubts about Flowey being a dangerous threat for their survival, none was subsisting now. The constant twitching in his body didn't help either. And Lincoln thought that weird purple mask from one of Lori's old games was the scariest thing ever...

After a little while, which had seemed to last forever, Flowey managed to calm down. He was now down to an exhausted chuckling, and was busy wiping a tear of hilarity away. "Hehe, hehe, wooh. You may be idiots, but I'm actually glad that old hag stopped me from ending you back then. Your stupidity can be sooooo funny at times." The true monster raised an eyebrow at the lack of incessant chatting those humans were known for. "Hmm, no smart comeback ? Where's your flare of pride from before ? _Did I kill it already ?_ "

But instead of sealing them in their growing fear, the comment irked the Louds instead, and a flare of **determination** managed to rise again from their SOULs. They weren't going to be defeated this easily !

"Yeah ? Well tough luck, Flowey the Bonkers !" was Lana's heated reaction. "We got your power now, and we're gonna use it however _we_ please !"

"You've spooked us with your little trash talk, I'll give you that much, but it's like Lucy's silent approach. We may be scared of it, but we'll always come back to our senses to look the wrongdoer in the eyes. Only this time, you can forget about any family compassion." joined Lynn, puffing her torso with bravery.

"Get real, Flowey. We'll never do what you did. We now know that this FIGHT option only leads to trouble, and as long as there is another option, we'll keep Sparing and befriending everyone we meet. Sorry – not really though – but you're wasting your time here. And ours at the same time. So for the last time, if you don't have anything nice to say, just get out of our sight !" asserted Lori proudly. She was quickly backed up by cheers and aggressive hissing from her fellow siblings.

But of course, none of it had even fazed the flower monster. The talking daisy even had the gall to laugh at the Louds' unity, which made them a little madder, and thus amused him even further. "What a fantastic and... _naive_ declaration you're giving right now. Hehehe, very interesting indeed. But is it your confidence in your abilities talking ? _Or is it that new power you're putting a blind trust into ?_ "

"Wanna know, huh ? It's called ' _None of your goshdarn business_ ' !" shouted Lola with a positively wrathful scowl.

"Bad f'ower ! Bad !" followed Lily with as much threat as her tone could give. Flowey took extra care into adding a little glint of threatening obscurity in the side-glance he threw at the youngest Loud, who whimpered but held eye contact with the yellow demon.

"Being stubborn I see. Very well, it's your quest after all. But... humour me this, my little _**pacifists**_. While your new ability has its perks, do you truly think it'll help you stay on that goody-two shoes path all the way ?"

Lincoln squinted his eyes, and cocked his head to the side. "What are you implying there ?"

"What I'm implying, _**friend**_ , is one simple question. What will you do if you are to meet someone as stubborn as you ? Someone who's as determined to end your little lives just as much as you are to spare theirs ? Perhaps even _more_ so ! What happens then ?"

"What malarky is this now ?" asked Lisa in an uptight tone, trying to not sound intrigued by this.

"Hehehe, you are not answering my question~. Maybe you need good ol' Flowey to answer that for you, hmm ?" smugly teased Flowey with the biggest dirt-eating grin, increasing frowns and anger all around. The trollish flower loved every second of it. "I'll take that as a yes ! What will happen, is that you'll try to convince them not to kill you, but to no avail. As such, you die. But that's okay, right ? After all, the LOAD power acts automatically, and you're back for another round !"

"So this power can truly cheat death ?" quipped Lucy with sudden interest. "Hmm, it seems that I'm one step closer to reach the immortality needed to be reunited with my sweet Edwin." The small goth noticed the deadpan looks around her, and scratched her arm sheepishly. "Sorry, lost focus there. Proceed, demon."

"With pleasure ! As I said, you're back, and you try again. You look for more ways, try more ACTions, scrap every corner that you can find. But it _still_ doesn't work. And you die, again. You come back, you try again, you die. Then a fourth time, and you _die_. You die, and die, and die. Over, and over, and over again. Dozens, maybe **hundreds** of times ! Until, at last, you become numb, and stop trying. You finally realise that it's all futile, and look at the situation another way. A real, _naiveless_ way to act. But what will it be ?" Flowey's smile gained creepiness again, gleefully taking in the intense feeling of confusion emanating from those stupid humans. " _Will you finally see how this world works out ? Accept its rules, and_ _ **kill**_ _out of frustration ?_ " The toothful smile shrunk to a just-as-creepy malicious smirk, the two white dots appearing into Flowey's eyes seemingly piercing through the eleven dormant SOULs. " _Or maybe... you'll simply give up ? Let your determination 'fall down', and give me back the keys to this wonderful power ?_ "

"N-No way that's ever happening !" sharply dismissed Lynn, but not as hard as she wanted to sound. And _**HE**_ noticed it.

" _Heehee, is that doubt I sense ? Fear, perhaps ?_ " gleefully purred the psychopathic bud. " _But you have nothing to fear from_ _ **me**_ _, my dear little monarchs. I am the_ _ **Prince**_ _of this world's future, and I'll patiently wait for my place on the throne to be restituted to me. Hehehehe..._ **THIS** _ **will be so much more interesting !**_ "

Flowey's face then seemingly grew thrice its usual size, as if mutating out of the limits of his head, to adress the _litteraly_ biggest and most wicked smile the Louds had seen thus far. Flowey released another cackling fit, which reverbated against the walls, and almost wrapped the children into its wickedness. A few seconds later, Flowey stopped, put his face back to 'normal', and adressed three last chilling words to his _preys_.

" _I'll be watching~_ "

And with that, he was gone, burrowing back into the ground, and leaving the humans into the silent darkness.

The kids knew it was no use to lie to themselves. They were _scared_. What had started as a fond parting on a promise, had now turned into a jittering anxiety just in front of the doors leading to the Underground. What had once been wonder was now apprehension. So many questions and vague answers, as well as the doubt in putting their trust in them, simply let the Louds _unsure_ of what to do now. Would they find the exit ? Could they handle this ASGORE ? Would Flowey be back to attack ? Or would they first fall against this enemy whose determination was superior to theirs ?

For once in their lives, the Louds were quiet. Not a peep, not a note of music, no nothing.

 _And that simply could not do._

"He's wrong." stated Lincoln calmly, simply, and most important, sounding _sure_ of himself. All eyes immediately fell on him. "I don't know if any of what he has told is true, or how it happened if it is. But just because that _jerk_ had issues in his own lonely twisted little experience, doesn't mean that it concerns us. We're more than him, both in numbers and minds to plan things ahead ! We've got a goal in mind, an amazing power given to us, and most of all, our spirits ready to handle any enemy in our way, by OUR rules !" Lincoln's proud grin quickly proved to be infectious, and all the better. "Whaddya' say girls ? Ready to prove that Nutcase wrong ?!"

"As if the answer wasn't obvious enough." smirked Lori confidently. "I gotta admit, that devious little plant got a way with words. But Lincoln's right, we've got numbers. And as long as one of us keeps their thoughts straight, we don't have anything to be afraid of."

"Took words right out of my mouth, mate !" said Luna, cool-headed once again. "As long as we stick together and work as a team, just like we've been doing until now, we'll get through the Underground, reach the exit, and just like that, the sun's back above our heads, baby !"

"It technically already is, but I support the message behind this nontheless." affirmed Lisa with a flare of wisdom passing through her retina. "There are many things left to see and discover, both here and back in our home world. If there is the teeniest of possibilities for us to succeed, we, as a team, are more than guaranteed to reach maximum success. And if it means proving utter and complete wrongness to this little green insanity that keeps looking down on us, all the better."

"Squash all opposition without any remorse whatsoever. Ah, I feel like I'm in the pageant world once again." swooned Lola.

"Or at a Roller Derby." chimmed Lynn.

"Or a Mud wrestling tournament !" added Lana.

"Or at the Sales !" squealed Leni about her most favourite time of the year.

"Or on the Internet." slyly chuckled Luan.

"Or towards a bully with a well-seasoned poem." threw in Lucy, briefly scaring both fashionista and comedienne upon noticing that she was standing just between them, and probably had been for the last minute or so.

Things simply felt right to Lincoln at the moment. Knowing that his sisters were going to have his back at any moment was something the boy was never tired of enjoying. The only thing that would've made the preteen feel even more accomplished with himself would've been a word from his ectoplasmic luggage. But since their farewell with Toriel, the presence had apparently made itself as unnoticeable as possible. Lincoln could still feel them, but he had heard no comment or sarcasm for a little while now. Lincoln had to admit, he was coming to miss those.

' _Oh well. If they feel like getting talkative later, it's their choice. It's not like noise is something to be missed with all my sisters._ ' Lincoln shrugged internally. He was brought back to reality when he felt Lily tugging on his blue jeans. The tot was smiling up at her big bro, and Lincoln returned it with gusto.

"Right you are, Lily. Time to wrap this up." said Lincoln, booping her little nose. He then looked at his nine other companions. "So guys ? Ready for the rest of our weird adventure ?"

" **YEAAAAAH !** " yelled the Loud sisters, easily beating Flowey in echoing decibel power. Then, all the siblings formed a human circle.

"Let's litteraly go explore a whole new kingdom, and uphold Goat Mom's promise !" began Lori, putting her hand in the center.

"Let's make tons of new friends, and totes find loads of cute and nice monsters !" happily chirped Leni, adding her perfectly manicured hand on top of Lori's.

"Let's have one rockin' quest that'll shake up this dusty ol' place, and make head-banging tales that will never be forgotten !" Luna made her rock sign with one hand, and added the other one to the hand pile.

"Let's make monsterkind roar with laughter, and share our stories in front of a good drink ! Let's just hope we don't run into a bar, it really hurts ! Hahaha, get it ?" cracked Luan optimistically, _handing_ them her support.

"Let's blast our way through this gigantic cavern, make ASGORE and his clique understand that no one messes with us !" whooped Lynn, harshly pressing her hand against her sisters'.

"Let's discover the secrets this place has to offer. Deeper and darker than its wide and bare walls. And maybe meet a nice ghost on the way again..." said Lucy with a slight blush and a tiny smile, as she added her pale hand to the mix.

"Let's have tons of fun and messy encounters !" cheered Lana, bouncing on her feet as she joined the circle.

"Let's do so, with a much needed pinch of elegance, courtesy of moi." Lola flashed her posh smile, and mirrored her twin sister, who playfully rolled her eyes.

"Let us go see how monsters can astonish us in many more ways, and how much we can learn from it. And who knows, maybe teach them a thing or two while on the way." proudly stated Lisa, always eager on the subject of knowledge. The little genius had to stand on her toes to add her own multi-fingered organ, but her siblings were nice enough to lower their hands, which she gratefully acknowledged.

This kind move also was to the benefit of one little Lily, who waddled her way to the center, and put her stubby little hand, gleefully chanting, "Go 'ome ! Mama an' Dada !".

All sister hands and spirits were in the middle, linked as one. Their SOULs made a vague apparition, symbolizing their very selves being put in this. Six shades, for ten colourful girls. But despite their unity, the sibling circle simply couldn't feel complete without their brother, bringing in his intriguing and almost overwhelming pulse of red.

With elation, Lincoln slapped his hand on the very top of the pile. It didn't even flinch, making the white-haired boy grin. "Let's show those monsters who we are. Who the humans are ! _Who the LOUDS are !_ No matter what comes our way, we'll keep walking, running, laughing, singing, and all the other stuff ! Because we are the Louds ! Chaotic, but always united ! **Forever !** "

" _ **LOUDS FOREVER !**_ " they all shouted as one, hands flying to the ceiling. And this time, the battle cry felt just right.

Feeling full of cheerful energy, and their group formation as closed as ever, the Louds stepped out through the two doors, truly beginning a brand new quest for our heroes. What would they find ? Who would they befriend ? Who would they battle with ? The road was unclear, but their destination couldn't be any clearer. As well as their **determination** to get to it.

As the light of outside seemed to blind them for a short moment, Lincoln could hear his inside narrator speak words that couldn't have been any truer.

* _The Underground opens up to you. You all feel ready to face it._

* _Ten girls. One boy._ _ **Ready to take on a brand new world.**_

 **LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 1 : Ruins**

 **The End**

* * *

Snow. Snow everywhere.

Snow to the right, snow to the left. It just never changed.

But did anything really ?

Woah, way too long without the bro. Starting to get all mopey again.

He had to stay focused. His fifth nap of the morning could wait. After all...

 _There had been a shift._

Quite a while since the last one. And dared he admit it, this one felt... different.

Every area was checked, and nothing changed. In the Ruins maybe ?

Was it another plan from Weedy the Weirdo to destabilize him ?

The guy was pretty cocky though, he would at least have taunted him a little. What kind of plan was he on this time ?

Urgh, so many things to do, and not much of a will to do them. Except if it involved puns or extreme **gardening**.

 _He never got tired of those two greatly satisfying activities._

But he had even more on his mind now. More than his brother's safety or keeping a constant lookout for that plant demon.

Seriously, why did he have to make this promise ? Not only did it sound like quite the chore, but the mere fact of keeping a promise was something he was not quite happy about to begin with.

But, how could he have turn her down ? Her indentity was nothing but a hazy blur, but that lady knew more than 80 different knock-knock jokes _by heart_ ! You don't say no to that kind of person, you just don't !

And hey, maybe it'll get some more peps in his brother's step, who'd been a little bored those days.

Though, he couldn't help but wonder. Word over not a human, but _multiple_ humans falling down, and Flowey keeping quiet for days, without a single Load to be reported. All of that happening after another weird spike in the Timespace continuum.

 _Could they now be the ones who-_

Wait. That heavy, grinding noise. He knew what that meant.

The doors were being opened. And that could only mean another thing.

 _His mysterious guests had arrived._

...Better bring those guys up to some speed quick. It would be better to be the first to welcome them out there. After all, they would get to see a whole lot more of him. Whether for the better or for the worst, that'd be up to them.

But enough meaningless rambling !

Time to move out, and go say _BONE-jour._

 **Arc 2 : Snowdin**

 **Now in production**

* * *

 **Author's Note : Oooh, what's that ? A glimpse into the most fan-favourite character of this story ? Did you get who that was ?**

 **(* _Sees hundreds of foaming Sansgirls fallen on the floor*_ )**

 **Glad you did. Much more to come in the coming chapters ! That I hope won't be delayed...**

 **Also, I hope that the Louds' backpacks make sense here. I mean, I never understood how you could keep a Tutu, a burnt pan, a cowboy hat, two cinammon bunnies, and three Mettaton-shaped steaks, all at once in _short pockets_ ! So boom, added a little more sense in your lives. You're very welcome. I take checks.**

 **As always, don't forget to throw in a Review, maybe an idea you'd want to see be inserted into the story later on. As said before, I am one to collect scraps. In the meantime, this is Superdimentio77, wishing you a heck of a good time ! See ya for the next arc~**

 **Charismatic ? : THE GREATEST OF ALL ! NYEH HEH HEH HEH !**

 **Lazy ? : it'll be a _cool_ one, for sure.**

 **Charismatic ? : OH MY GOD, IT HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET !**


	10. Snowdin, Part 1

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 2 : Snowdin**

 **Part 1 : The one you were all waiting for (Now, off my lawn !)**

 **Author's Note : (* _Boring crowd hearing a loony guy going on and on about how Lincoln never did anything wrong EVER, until he's pushed away by the door being kicked down. Enters one cool-looking jester.*_ )**

 **Random reader : It's Superdimentio77, with the first Skelebro chapter !**

 **Le Moi : Hi, kids !**

 **( _*High-pitched teen girl screaming_ *)**

 **Free plate of spaghetti for the first one who catches the reference.**

 **But anyway, hello guys and gals ! Yes, it is time ! It is finally time for the two fan-favourite to make their entrance into the story ! Are you excited ?! (* _Shrill adoring screams, some depicting how Sans should use his cartilage to amuse them in a rather suggestive way._ *) Yeesh, less excited please, there are children watching !**

 **I'd like to give special thanks to those who reviewed and faved this story. You are the people who keep me going, keep having great ideas, and just being plain awesome.**

 **But enough of those time-consuming words you probably skipped ! Enjoy this chapter !**

* * *

It had been done. At last, the Louds were out of the Ruins. The Underground and its wonders were finally opening up to them. Something so grand, an event so large in importance needed something exciting. Famous words that would forever implement themselves in the history of both Loud and Underground !

"Who the heck left the freezer door open ?!"

 _Perfect. But back to fictional reality, will ya ?_

Our heroes were out of the Ruins, standing by the closed doors encompassed by bright purple structure, and were now totally understanding the need for winter outfits.

A white blanket of snow unfolded under their multicoloured snow boots, not even near Lisa's ankles, but high enough for its crunching effect to be felt by the sibs. In front of them, a dense forest of bare trees with trunks that seemed to go all the way up to the 'sky'. And on the right, a neat little path evenly cutting into the millions of white little snowflakes. The air felt fresh, almost nippy, and nowhere as dry as were the Ruins.

"Can't argue with you there, dudette." Luna nodded at Lynn's comment. "Thank you Tori. If not for her, we'd be feeling fresher than Mick's last album right now."

"I'd say that at the exception of myself and maybe Lucy, it would've been immediate hyporthemia for our small party." analysed Lisa in her usual neutral tone.

"Dang it." Lucy snapped her fingers.

"C'mon Luce, now's not the time to think about that, we've got a quest to accomplish ! Or are you already getting _cold_ feet ? Get it ?" cracked Luan, earning herself groans and a vampire-like hissing from the goth herself, both for the pun and the mockery.

Lori rolled her eyes, and shook her head. "Joking aside, it's nice to see some snow again. Even though last time was litteraly less than pleasant because of a certain school maniac."

Girls and boy pointedly looked at their bespectacled sister, who nervously looked around. "Alright, I do admit that my methods that day were a tad... forceful."

"A tad ?!" uproared Lola threateningly. "I took so much snow in the face, that my make-up cracked and shattered ! I almost wetted myself when I saw it !"

"Yeah, and it took me half an hour to get the snow out of my pants. And then I had to take a hot _bath_ !" pursued Lana, gripping her little sister by the collar of her pear-coloured coat, and dropping her voice into a low hissing. "With _lavender-scented soap_. Hops was fleeing from me like I wanted to eat him. One day, you _will_ pay the price."

Upon release, Lisa dusted herself and cleared her throat. "Very well, I hit you with the vigor of a driverless bulldozer. But you cannot deny that my intentions were for the greater good of your learning process and cortex developpement. Missing less days of school means a better understanding of your school program, thus less chances of failure at the end of the year, and reducing chances of going to the Summer School you dread so much. Conclusion, **I** have saved your Summer Holidays. You are much welcome- YEEEP !"

"Oh yeah ? Here's your prize then." slyly grinned Lynn as she poured a nice big snowball down Lisa's neck, who began frantically hopping around while squeaking out of the sheer cold dragging down her back. The sight brought chuckles out of the others.

After finally getting every last trace of snow from her spine, Lisa shot a dark glance at everyone, and grumbled, "T-This was petty revenge, and you know it."

"Oh c'mon, you're not that small Lisa." said Leni, giving the exasperated genius a gentle pat on the head.

"Not _petite_ , Leni, _petty_. As in childish." explained Lori, getting an understanding "Oh !" from the ditzy blonde. "Alright, we had our fun at Lisa's expense. Now, onward people ! Let's find our ticket back to the Surface !"

"Poo-poo !" followed Lily assertively. With the orders now clear, the kids began to depart. Lincoln though, stopped for an instant. Looking at his left, next to the door, stood a big green bush covered with snow. But the plant itself wasn't what had drawn the boy's gaze. Amongst the little leaves, Lincoln could see something peeking out of them, reflecting the little bits of sunlight allowed... somewhere ?

 _Lincoln could almost swear he was seeing... a camera's lens ?_

"Lincoln ! What're you doing bro ?!" half-scolded Luna, with all the girls adressing confused glances at their only brother. "Don't drag behind, we gotta stay tight !"

Lincoln jolted out of his train of thought, and immediately ran back to his sisters. "Sorry, got distracted for a second." he apologised.

Luan nudged her brother. "What happened ? Was your narrator guy beating around the _bush_ again ? Hahaha !"

With only more groans as general answer, the children departed, leaving the huge door, as well as the bush and its mysterious contents alone once more.

 _Somewhere far away, a sweating recluse sighed in relief..._

* * *

The path that they followed was quite large, with rows upon rows of trees surrounding them. The sight wasn't very reassuring, and the almost complete lack of noise wasn't making it any favour.

"Man, reminds me of 'ARGGH !''s Christmas Special, ' _The Ice Witch's haunted woods_ '." commented Lincoln to find a way to fill the oppressive silence. "Great episode, especially since it gave some neat character developpement to that old Groucho of the Academy's Director who sometimes appeared at a window from its office to yell at Hunter and his friends."

"Meta." drawled Lucy.

"Huh ?"

"Nothing."

"Empty road, and bare poles all over. It's just like the last Winter Sales, after everything had been taken off. And then, when I found the cutest pair of boots hidden under one of the shelves, hundreds of crazy girls jumped on me, biting and clawing at my poor hair !" recalled Leni in horror, as she hid behind a not much more reassured Luan.

"Those sales can be pure evil. They play on your mind." acknowledged Lola with squinted eyes. "I remember being one of the biters that attacked you, and those boots were not even my size !"

But of course, the boldest of the Louds couldn't help but chuckle mockingly at the fear in her siblings' demanour. "Pssh, you guys are being sissies right now. I mean c'mon, our _basement_ is scarier than this place !"

"You have not seen many 'abandonned woods' movies, have you ?" suddenly spoke Lucy, almost getting a scared yelp out of her roommate. But Lynn-sanity held on strong.

"And until I'm assured that there aren't Canis Lupus in those woods, I choose the wary and more secured state of mind, thank you very much." lisped Lisa, shyly looking left and right. Lily offered one of her dummies for comfort, but Lisa still had a bit of pride to salvage, and politely refused.

"I approve this idea ! If it means _leav_ ing another day, then it ain't so much of a _foliage_ !" Silence was shortly replaced by an echo of facepalms over Luan's bad pun. "What, was this joke a little... _wooden_ ?"

* _Pomf !*_

Such was the sound of Lana having enough and throwing a snowball at her sister's face. Luan tried opening her mouth to follow with another joke, but closed it when she saw Lana The Kid bouncing another snowball in her hand, immediately getting the message.

"Man, c'mon guys !" grunted Lynn in exasperation. "We've just looked Flowey right in the eye ! If any real scary monster comes around, like that ASGORE, I'll just poke him in the eye with a stick !"

"How big of a stick ?" humoured Luna.

Lynn's face scrunched up in thought, then brightened up when she saw something on the path they were trudging on. It was a branch, and quite the big one at that. It was at least as tall as Lori, and a tad wider than Lynn's own arm. It sat there, stiff yet meaning business at the same time. Lynn happily zoomed up to it, and with a bit of traction, hoisted it up in the air.

"How about this one, huh ?!" boasted Lynn, her arms barely trembling despite the strain she was giving them. If anything, the effort only reinforced her will to hold on. "With that sweet baby, monsters won't even think of attacking anymore ! We'll get to negociations for a _Spare_ must faster that way !"

"Yeaaaah, I'm gonna have to say no here." said Lori in a deadpan tone.

"What ? Why ?!"

"Because while the idea does hold up, not only we won't be able to fit it in our bags, meaning you'll have to meaninglessly carry it everywhere we go, most likely annoying people on the way; but this branch is also very huge and pointy, and if you poke our eyes with it, I litteraly don't think it'll be a pleasant experience."

"I'll be careful with it ! Pleaaaase ? C'mon Lincs, back me up here !" pleaded Lynn with her glimmering puppy-dog eyes. However, the boy was showing to be rather imprevious to it. The brunette had already burned down the cute effect by too many uses and way too little payback to it. So except if it was for something very important, no dice.

"No offense Lynn, but you and 'careful' don't really go together. I'm with Lori on this one, sorry."

"I can so be careful !" replied Lynn indignantly, whipping her arm around, and the branch nearly hitting the ducking Loud siblings, who immediately adressed pointed glares. Lynn sheepishly smiled, then relented with a grumble. "You guys are spoilsports, nothing else." she pouted, releasing her hold on the branch.

"I'm sure we'll find something, you know, smaller. And one that's more _Lynn_ !" offered Lincoln. It got a smile and a playful punch to the shoulder from Lynn, and the group proceeded forward.

"Yeah, why not ? Still, it would've taken one buff monster to not be impressed of that stick ! I'd like to meet the guy who could get rid ot it-"

* _ **SNAP !**_ *

Stiff. That was how a good photographer would have described the Louds' poses in this perfect freeze frame. As for their faces, they reflected a perfect mix of cold shock and ' _Oh, chocolate **fudge** sundae_ '.

The Loud Pack slowly turned around, praying that this sound had only been a collective illusion, or the echo of something _very_ far away from them. But their hopes were promptly dashed away when they saw the crushed bits that remained of the tough-looking branch, as if something **huge** had just stepped onto it.

"Y'know what ? Never mind. My life will be just as neat if I don't meet that guy ever." nervously laughed Lynn. Odds were something the young athlete strongly believed in, and she just might have taunted them a little too hard.

"I don't think we should be stopping waiting for them either." noted Lori. "Keep walking, you guys."

More tense than ever, the Louds did so. The eleven pairs of eyes were shifting at a most impressive speed, and one could wonder how they could be sweating that much by such a cold weather.

"Luna, I know I'm the nerdy gamer, but don't you have your l-l-little expertise in _that_ kind of g-g-games ?" poked Lincoln through clattering teeth.

"That I do, bro. That's why if I hear any whirring sound, or " _Come to Mama..._ ", I'm flipping the lid faster than good ol' Jimmy's solos." whisper-answered Luna with a pale face.

"There's no reason to be afraid, there's no reason to be afraid." repeated Lola in a mantra fashion. She then took a very zen expression. "Just think of your happy place. A nice big beach, with nice white sand, you comfortably sitting in a comfy beach chair, a fresh sundae in your hand-"

* _Chomp, chomp, chomp_ *

The sound of footsteps in the snow once again threw the Louds off-guard, but as they quickly whipped around, nothing. Not even the single trace of a footstep in the snow. Although for a mere milli-second... _they could have sworn they'd seen a shadow disappearing behind the trees._

"-And a bright view on the killer coming out of the blood red water with a rusty hook and an icebox with your name on it !" yelled Lola in a hysterical high-pitched tone. If not for her twin grabbing onto her pink scarf, the princess would've zoomed forward like no tomorrow ! Not the smartest thing to do in that kind of situation...

"Get a grip, girl ! Now's not the time to lose it !" berated Lana as she pinched Lola's arm to get her back on her heeled feet. Out of their primal twin instincts however, Lola counter-attacked with a pinch of her own, and the two were soon enough locked into a Slappy Fight, quickly broken up by Lincoln.

"Okay, change of gear. **Run.** " ordered a wide-eyed Lori. The Louds did not need to hear it twice, and ran ahead, with the more fit helping the less sportive to pick up speed. Leni especially got to take Lisa under her arm, much to the prodigy's utter embarassement. A strange pressuring atmosphere was getting more and more thick as they progressed down, sending chills right through their very hearts, but certainly not stopping them in their tracks.

What did manage to stop them though was the coming of a small wooden bridge, one that didn't look very sturdy, and decked of a strange set of big wooden bars, way too wide to have any effect whatsoever. A dark and deep hole stood right under the bridge, one that no one wanted to fall into.

"STOOOP !" shouted Lincoln, as they all skidded down to a halt. "We can't cross the bridge at the same time, it'll break apart like a twig !"

"Who cares about that ?!" retorted Lynn agressively. "I might've not seen a lot of those movies, but if there's one thing I do know, is that you never stop when the killer _might_ be tailing you ! Horror Movie 101 right here !"

"Actually, ' _Horror Movie 101_ ' is to never split up." remarked Lucy.

"Hmm, split... banana split... Totes could go for one." Leni connected the dots in her own way. Her comment did not win her any favour though.

"Leni, that was a good one. But this is not the time to be thinking about your stomach !" chided Luan.

A small argument managed to break through the children. Old habits died hard after all, but never had it been in the face of a true danger. So much that for an instant, they had completely forgotten about the very reason they were having that argument.

 _But it seemed the **reason** didn't like to be ignored..._

* _Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, CHOMP_ *

" **Human.** "

The argument instantly died, leaving only a cold-sweated silence. The footsteps sounds and the proximity of the voice did not lie here. Whoever that worrisome stranger may be, they were standing _right behind them_.

" **Well ? Don't you know know how to... greet a new pal ?** "

There was something about the tone employed here that seemed to render the kids' minds and bodies completely numb with fright. The stranger's voice wasn't loud or especially threatening, it held no real animosity. But it held **power. Mysterious and oppressive power.**

" **It's easy. Just turn around and** _ **shake my hand.**_ "

"Do we really have to ?" squeaked Lana.

"We should. Angering them will only make things worse. Plus, it leaves the killer just the time to get his weapon ready to strike." murmured Lucy with clear fear in her voice.

They all stood in baited breath for a moment, every one of them with dozens of thoughts rushing and swirling inside their heads. They knew something had to be done, but the pressure given by this stranger kept their feet cemented to the very spot they stood. Even Lily didn't dare to coo or whimper.

…

But at last, with a deep breath, Lori decided to take the first step. She had vowed to be the leader they'd need for this adventure, and by Bobby's cute little beard, now was a good time as ever to prove it ! Thus, Lori passed Lily to Luna, and turned around to face the stranger.

Lori could not clearly tell what the stranger looked like, as the figure stood shrouded in mysterious shadows. One thing she could tell however, was that whoever this was, had a rather short and stout stature. She estimated him or her to be about Lynn's size, maybe Luan's. Speaking of which, through the shadows, Lori could almost perceive a grin that was no stranger to the comedienne's own, but came as more than a bit unsettling.

The figure extended an arm, with five quite slim looking fingers. Lori eyed it for a second, then summoned up all the courage she had inherited from Toriel, and reached out the hand with her own for a firm and meaningful handshake.

* _PFFRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrtttt..._ *

Pressure and swirling thoughts left the Louds as if they had been blasted away from a big gust of _wind_ (* _Rimshot_ *), leaving their minds blank. All they could do was blink at the rather odd sound they had just heard. Until...

" _It was my shoes !_ " blurted Lori out of instinct. Her face immediately went bashfully red upon realising what she had just said.

 _And all hell broke loose._

" _ **WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !**_ " erupted the ten other kids in hilarity, to a level the ' _Loox Eye-walker_ ' incident paled to in comparaison.

"O-O-Oh my flippin' gosh ! This was golden !" laughed Lincoln, holding his sides.

"The t-t-timing couldn't have been more exact here !" cracked up Lisa with tears going all over her glasses. "Hahahaha, oh my poor unirary bladder !"

"S-Some people have talent for comedy." began Luan with her big goofy grin, that only meant one thing. "And you, Lori, I can tell that you have a true _fla-talent !_ " The laughs only doubled at that pun, to the point where even Lucy was tearing up.

"hehehe, nice follow-up there, lady." spoke the figure, but covered by the shadows no longer. As the others were too busy laughing their butts off, Lori was the one to take the first good look at _him_.

The blonde now understood why his fingers looked and felt so thin. The new monster was a living skeleton ! And a rather _pudgy_ one at that. The guy sported a blue hoodie with a white shirt underneath, large black shorts that reached to his ankles, and... pink slippers at his feet ? Other than those few elements, this was a true bag of bones that was standing in front of Lori, alive as can be, but looking a bit odd for a human skeleton. His skull was rather large and round, he had two white dots shining like pupils inside his eyesockets, and he held an unfaltering chesire smile. The big sister didn't quite know what to make of that last element...

"boy, the whoopie-cushion-in-the-hand trick." chuckled the monster in the most laid-back way the Louds had ever heard. It was different from Luna's, which had constant energy behind it. Here however, there was barely any, making it sound as lazy as possibly be. "heh, always a classic, am i right ?"

"Agreed ! It's a comedic _fart_ !" jabbed Luan, renewing waves of laughter from her fellow siblings. All Lori could do was to roll her eyes in silent fury. She just _had_ to remind them of that event, which had in fact never happened.

No really, it was her **shoes** ! _**Believe her !**_

"heh, nice bunch of friends you've got there. not one looking like the other, not even the two who should." piped in the skeleton monster.

Lori, though still annoyed, gained a grin. "What if I told you we're all closely related ?"

The monster's grin stood still, but his eyesockets widened by a noticeable inch. "all of you ?" he asked, to which Lori nodded. "heh, shower time in the morning must be something, huh ?"

"You have NO idea..."

"nope, i pretty much don't. i'd like a morning shower, but there are only so much times a guy can take a nap..." he shrugged indifferently.

"...You're quite the type of guy who prides himself being lazy, aren't you ?" drawled Lori, straight to the point. After that answer, the monster's 'jitters quota' had been reduced to pratically nothing. But the eldest Loud still didn't dare letting her guard down. They had been charmed by a goofily friendly guy once, and the result had left more than a sour taste in their mouths. None of the humans would look at buttercups the same way ever again.

And for what they knew, this guy could be working up a trap to get them all for that ASGORE's plan. Heck, what if he _was_ ASGORE ?! Acknowledging this, Lori immediately turned to her siblings, and whistled through her thumb and index between her lips. The sharp sound got the siblings to stop laughing, even though some were still snickering and snorting, deperately trying not to look at Lori's footwear.

And as they got back on their feet, the ten truly acknowledged the monster's presence with both curiosity and caution, staying sharp but not wanting to seem or sound rude. "Soooo... who are you exactly ?" tried Lincoln.

"hey you're right, manners are important. the name's **sans. sans the skeleton.** " winked Sans rather playfully. (S _omewhere, not necessarily in the same place, hundreds of_ sans _girls rejoiced._ ) There was a short moment of relieved silence upon learning that the dreadful ASGORE was not standing before them, before Sans cocked an eyebrow and his grin got a little wider. "well ? the polite game plays both ways, you know ?"

The kids blushed and grinned sheepishly. Lori especially, after getting so many 'lady tips' from Goat Mom herself. "Hehe, right. Well, I'm Lori Loud, eldest sibling and leader of our little clique." she advanced to shake his hand, but made sure to look if there wasn't a second embarrassing trap in it. She saw none, gripped Sans' hand for the second time, and proceeded with the presentations.

"So, in order, we have Leni. Our fashion expert and good heart."

"Hello !" Leni waved rather exaggeratedly.

"Luna, our local wise troubadour."

"Jolly good day, eh ?" Luna swiftly went into British Mode with a friendly smile.

"Luan, always with a pun up her sleeves, or even ponytail."

"Excuse my french, but _bone_ -jour !" hit Luan with a good-natured laugh.

"Lynn, fast and strong junior athlete, and Michigan's best sub eater."

"And I still stay fit." boasted the brunette with her usual ego, flexing her slender but strong arm.

"Lincoln, our only brother and usually our man with a plan."

"Nice to meet you !" cheerfully said Lincoln, feeling especially proud for his 'man with a plan' title to have been mentioned, which didn't happen often. His smile quickly diminished when he noticed the intense glance that Sans seemed to be keeping on him. Not only was he not that familiar with being in the spotlight from someone other than his family, with his sisters overshadowing him quite often, but there was just something unnerving in the way the stout skeleton kept looking at him, like he had done something bad. _Or was to do something bad..._

"Lucy, young poet and friend to all unliving things."

"You seem to be an adept of the eternal slumber as well. Good." dryly said Lucy while doing a courteous little bow.

Sans nodded. "too true, spooky."

"Lana, not afraid of any dirty work, or even of the dirt itself."

"I roll in the mud and can fix up your toilets like nobody !" asserted the tomboy, before scratching her chin in wonder. "Wait, do you even need to go ?"

"Lola, beauty and glitter expert, pageant rising star."

"If you need any beauty tip, I'll _graciously_ give you one, for free ! The second though..." chuckled Lola with a bit of mischevious interest in her tone.

"Lisa, our pocket brainiac, setting aside cube sets for cryptic notes and beakers full of the wildest components."

"Overlooking the crude aspect of my description, I do pride myself of my intellectual skills, and would more than pleased to share them with you." concurred Lisa. "They don't call me _Doctor Loud_ for nothing, you know."

"And last but not least, Lily. The youngest of us, and our main moral support."

"Poo-poo !" cooed Lily with a small wave.

"That's all of us. We're the Louds, a tight group of siblings with a clear objective." resumed Lori with a firm nod. Her gesture was eerily mirrored by her siblings, and Lori went back to them, taking a happy Lily into her arms once more.

' _hmm, lively group of humans for sure._ ' silently analysed Sans, taking a good look at each of their energies. But every time he passed by a certain Loud, his gaze stopped. ' _readings like this... no doubt he initiated the load. And yet, it's like he doesn't feed off this energy just from himself. from the others as well, and something else... but what ?_ '

Sans rattled his brain, trying to make some sense of what he was looking at, but eventually realised it wasn't worth the headache yet. ' _hmm, let's put a pin on it for now. they look pretty nice anyway, and not in a fake way like weedy when he first showed up. best to just keep watching them, see how things go, keep hopeful. it's been a good string of new days after all, and i'm sure **he** 'll be happy to see them. might even get some friends out of it._ _and, well..._

' _ **For their sake and mine, let's just hope we don't become**_ **enemies.** '

"Um, hello ? Like, are you sleeping ?" called out Leni, bringing the monster back to reality.

"He does seem like the kind of guy that takes a nap on the fly." assumed Lola. And she was not too far from the truth.

"i'm up, i'm up." chuckled Sans with a wave of his hand. "just thinking about how to go from there. it's tiring just from thinking about it."

"What's the hussle ? Can we help ?" asked Luna.

"in a way, you can. see, i'm actually a sentry employed by the **Royal Guard** , and my job is to be on the lookout for any humans that pass here. never expected to find so many at the same time though." earnestly explained Sans. The siblings took a cautious step back, but he was quick to reassure them. "hey, no need to freak out. it _is_ my job to capture you, but... it's just not my thing. too much work in general."

"Then, why did you even take the job ?" questionned Lori, thoroughly confused.

"pays the bills, free coupons for glamburgers, and of course, the mandatory breaks." explained Sans with a wink.

"Man, and I thought Lincoln on a Sunday was lazy." snickered Lana.

"Yeah... hey !"

"So, am I to understand you are not going to drag us into another quirky confrontation ?" tried Lisa with a touch of hope.

"nah. i only fight when i feel like it, and now's just not the time. which is pretty much never." shrugged the litteral lazybones, earning some relieved cheers from the Louds. But... "besides, i wouldn't want to spoil my **brother** 's fun."

The kids stopped cheering. "Your... brother ? What about him ?" said Lincoln with renewed anxiety.

Sans' smile gained cheekiness. "y'see, my bro **Papyrus** , isn't really like me on humans. he's gotta be the most passionate monster about them. it's his dream to capture a human, and he's pretty much dead set on making it come true."

The Louds felt themselves being nervous once again. A monster that wanted nothing more than to capture one of them ? What if he was dangerous ? Could he be working for ASGORE ? This wasn't looking good. The kids began to frantically murmur amongst eachother to find a quick solution, but Sans managed to pierce through it with a single sentence.

"hey, actually, i think i hear him coming."

The sibs fell silent, and listened closely for any foreign sound. Sure enough, a distinct sound of footsteps could be heard, close to a stomping. The humans' nervosity only doubled from there.

"Oooh, what do we do ?! The situation isn't looking very _ice_ if you ask me !" _punnicked_ Luan. Sans seemed to appreciate it.

"Could our journey be already ending ? _Sigh_ , kinda anticlimatic." monotonedly stated Lucy.

"Panic and defeatism aren't gonna make it any better, so everyone settle down !" firmly ordered Lori, keeping a _cool_ head. ( _Sans, stop looking at me like this !_ ) "There's got to be something we can do, we just have to think clearly."

"actually, i think i can help ya here." quipped Sans. He knew there was no real danger here, but better make them understand that he was on their side. For now...

"Really ?!" excitedly said the twins with twinkling eyes.

Sans pointed a finger ahead. "first off, go through that gate thingy. don't worry, the bridge's pretty strong, and my bro made the bars way too wide to stop anyone."

"Uh, why ?" asked Lynn.

"he said that it 'wouldn't make humans feel welcome enough'."

"Well, vertical stripes _are_ two seasons ago, it's _so_ better to quickly pass them." tsked Leni dismissively.

Humans and skeleton proceeded to cross the bridge, and quickly followed the path further to a small clearing. In it, stood a small wooden station, with snow on its roof and... condiment bottles of all sorts. A particularly big and bushy tree stood in the upper corner next to them, and next to them, was a lamp. This lamp... _uh, Sans got it covered._

"okay, here's what we do : i'll handle paps. lincoln, you go hide between that conveniently-shaped lamp." explained Sans. And _conveniently-shaped_ was about right, as from foot to top, the lamp was the perfect likeness of Lincoln's silhouette, down to his little tuft of hair.

"I have many questions about this." Lincoln raised a finger.

"But no time to get the answers ! Just do what he says !" cut in Lynn while pushing him behind the lamp. Lincoln grumbled a bit, but quickly took his position, perfectly hidden.

"as for you girls, go hide under that very luckily-placed tree." pursued Sans, nodding his head in the tree's direction.

"What if there's poison ivy in there ?" complained Lola, not nature's greatest fan.

"One, we've all got layers of clothing. And two, if having to scratch our butts for hours means not getting captured, then it's a risk we are taking." simply stated Lori.

"He's getting close, dudes ! Cheese it !" beckoned Luna, effectively making all the sisters run into the bushy area provided by the tree. It was quite the stuffed Tetris-like placement, with multiple grunts and small bickering to get everyone to fit ("Get your foot off my face !" "You get your _face_ off my _foot_ !"), but they eventually succeeded, with the bonus of all being able to peek out from the leaves.

Sans flashed a thumbs up, closed his eyes, and opened them when the sound of quick footsteps was as close as can be. His brother had arrived, and Sans gave him the most casual greeting a Sans sibling could give.

"heya bro. what's up ?"

"YOU VERY MUCH KNOW WHAT IS 'UP', BROTHER !" pratically yelled the new monster, who the Louds now knew as **Papyrus**. He was a skeleton as well, but that was where the similarities with Sans ended. In fact, Papyrus could hardly be any more different than their lazy new friend, even colourwise, with Sans' cool blue jacket contrasting against the tacky orange splashed onto most of Papyrus' clothing.

Where Sans was short and stout, Papyrus was tall and lanky, almost as tall as Toriel. His skull was skinnier, with a large jaw and thin eyesockets that didn't share his brother's pupils, but possessed thin black eyebrows instead, ones that were in quite the frowny mode. His hands were covered by orange mittens, he sported a white chest plate with golden hues, trims and a small orange symbol, blue briefs with a golden belt, and big orange snow boots. Around his neck was a long orange scarf, with the end going down his back like a small superhero cape.

But the biggest difference between the brothers were their natural auras. Sans' felt soothing, completely lax, but also enigmatic. Papyrus' felt earnest, radiant, and gave off such boundless energy, that if he was asked to do five laps around a field, there was little doubt that he would do the triple. _On his hands. **And on only one during the final lap.**_

At this moment though, Papyrus' energy was focused into scolding his apathetic brother. "EIGHT DAYS, SANS ! IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU'VE RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES ! I'VE FOUND THE LAST ONE HIDDEN UNDER THREE DAYS OF SNOW !"

"hey, you found it. good, i was pretty upset over losing it. it took me days to think of that one." proudly grinned Sans.

"IT WAS A SINGLE RAKE, WITH TWO ARROWS DRAWN ON THE SIDES, AND A SINGLE INSTRUCTION THAT SAID ' _FOLLOW 'EM_ '. WHAT KIND OF A PUZZLE IS THAT ?!" ranted Papyrus, his bones rattling with annoyance. "I SWEAR, ALL YOU'VE BEEN DOING LATELY IS JUST SIT BEHIND YOUR STATION, AND WATCH THE SNOW FALL ! ARE YOU EVEN DOING SOMETHING REMOTELY PRODUCTIVE RIGHT NOW ?!"

"oh y'know, staring at this lamp, looking for pinecones under bushy trees, fun stuff." shrugged Sans carelessly. A humouring glint appeared in his eye. "wanna help ?"

"Oh my gosh, is he ratting us out ?!" whispered Lynn, not too happy at the sudden betrayal.

"It's a little early for accusations. It's not like we can _see through him_ that easily." countered Luan with her usual comedic spirit.

"Shut it, both of you, you're gonna get us caught." hushed Lori with a stern glare. The two muttered apologies, and the sisters resumed their watching. Lincoln, in the meantime, was working hard to keep his position as steady as possible. Thank goodness for all his modeling times with Leni.

"ARGH, NO ! AS FUN OF AN ACTIVITY PINECONE SEARCHING IS, NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR DISTRACTIONS !" stomped Paprus like an ice-creamless child. The sight came off as oddly adorable to the girls watching it. "HUMANS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED, AND COULD BE ARRIVING ANY MINUTE NOW ! WE MUST BE READY ! I'VE GOT TO BE THE ONE TO CAPTURE THEM, LIKE NO MONSTER EVER DID ! IT'S MY DESTINY, SANS !"

A nonexistant breeze apparently began to blow, as Papyrus' cape floated with it. The loud skeleton took a proud pose, one hand on his hip and the other on his chest, and the most self-loving grin settling on his face. The guy was almost glowing with ego and confidence.

"THEN I, **THE GREAT PAPYRUS** , WILL FINALLY GET ALL THE THINGS I RIGHTFULLY DESERVE ! RECOGNITION, FAME, THE ADMIRATION OF THOUSANDS ! I'LL FINALLY GET MY PLACE IN THE ROYAL GUARD, AND RISE AS THE BEST SOLDIER THE UNDERGROUND HAS EVER KNOWN !" His eyes gained a hopeful gleam as he pressed his mittens against his bony cheeks. "FINALLY, PEOPLE WILL ASK... TO BE... MY _FRIEND_. SHOWERS OF KISSES EVERY MORNING, AND FIELDS OF AWE-FILLED SMILES EVERYWHERE I'LL GO !"

"Looks like the _Narcissus of the year_ won't be for our little princess this time around." sniggered Luna, nudging the adressed.

"I may not get what you just said, but I know it's something bad. So..." Lola meaningfully pinched the rocker's leg, who quieted her yelp to a slight hiss. "Besides, that guy's pretty funny."

"Yeah, he's like one big goofball." added Lana rather joyously. "And did you hear that ? The guy just wants a friend. You know what, I think we were worried about nothing, that monster seems pretty neat."

"Well, we musn't forget that he's still aiming at our capture here, and it remains his prime objective." reminded Lisa, before gaining a small smile. "But I must endavour in the fact that he does seem to be someone pleasant to have around, if a bit loud."

"Like that ever gave us any problem." chuckled Lori, as the others giggled as well. The bossy blonde had to agree here, this Papyrus man seemed rather benign. His boasting and strong voice came as enjoyably quirky, and there wasn't any trace of meanness in his speech. The guy was an energetic man-child, never running low on peppiness. It almost reminded her of... "What do you think Leni ?"

No answer. A strange occurrence, coming from the peppy teen, who was always happy to reply when called by her name.

Lori turned to her oldest younger sis, arching an eyebrow. "Um, Leni ? Yoo-hoo~"

Still not a peep from the blonde. Even more worrisome, was the trance she seemed to be into. Her mouth was slightly opened, her body was stiff as a board, she wasn't even blinking... and had a big pink blush stretched from ear to ear. Her gaze firmly rested on one sole element the scenery had to offer, the most amazing one Leni felt she had ever seen.

 _ **The Great Papyrus.**_

[ _Undertale OST – For the Fans_ ]

Leni wasn't an expert in matchmaking, even she knew that. If your question was about the right pair of shoes to go with that Summer dress, or the totes best shampoo to make your hair shine like a diamond, she was the expert, no doubt to be had. And in the Loud family, there was no sweetest heart than Leni's, because even if she could be petty at times, true anger was almost foreign to her, and was alwas full of love for her family. But an expert on true love, she simply was not.

Leni had met cute guys before, Hugh to name the obvious, but others at in Middle and High Schools as well. Like the Football Captain in 8th Grade, or the Chess Club President of her Freshman Year, or even that hunky bouncer from that hip new spot in the Mall. She had even met inanimate ones, on posters, on the back of a can of soup, or even with, * _Dreamy Sigh_ * Donny the Dummy...

But even through recollecting of this, none of those guys came close to the effect Papyrus was having on the almost woman-child. His tall perfectly built stature, his simple-crafted yet resplendishing attire, his smile with even _pearlier_ whites than hers, his beaming confidence and powerful style. Everything about Papyrus was making Leni's heart dance the tango, powered even further by the mere thought of the monster perfectly executing said dance with her as her partner. In fact, an even more potent vision of the skele-hunk soon came to Leni.

( _Switching to Leni-Vision_ )

 _Sitting at her table, in the middle of beautiful Paris, Leni Loud waited for her latte while working on her brand new designs. Ones that would soon invade the Galleries LaFayette, and would sell faster than hot croissants. Nothing less to be expect from the world-famous designer herself._

 _But suddenly, as she finished her latest masterpiece, a shadow fell over her design, and a strong yet suave voice delicately called. "MY, MY, WHAT IS IT I SEE ? GREATNESS IN THE MAKING, AND I AM LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE A WITNESS OF IT."_

 _With glimmering eyes, the beautiful stylist turned around, her long hair waving like a silky curtain. A soft gasp graced her pink and softer lips, for the man behind her was like no other. A tall skeleton, with a small moustache, a costume that had without doubt the value of a small villa, and an unmistakable cane with his likeness for a knob._

 _Adding his radiant aura in the equation, doubt wasn't allowed. It was none other than **Papyrus Il Magnifico** , the ultra-famous Italian billionaire whose face had been on more magazines than any other man before him. Women around him, and even the male waiter, were dropping like flies, enthralled by the mere sight of his sheer magnificence. But Leni stayed awake, feeling as if she needed to keep her eyes open for even just a second more of the beautiful man standing before her._

 _The moment both of their gazes met, an electric sensation rocked Leni's world, and even Perfection Incarnated, a.k.a. **Papyrus** , seemed to be delightfully surprised by what he was seeing. "OH, BUT IT SEEMED I HAD YET TO MEET ITS SUBLIME CREATOR. _LENI LOUD _, IS IT NOT ? I MUST SAY, IT IS **MY** HONOUR TO FINALLY SEE YOU IN PERSON." **he** complimented, as **he** dropped on one knee, and laid a delicate peck on Leni's peach-skinned hand. Even the mark left by the lips **he** didn't have seemed to shine of **his** amazing presence. The man then looked at the girl with tender passion, and held her those few words. "WOULD YOU ALLOW ME AT YOUR TABLE ? PERHAPS WE CAN TALK ABOUT INTRIGUING THEMES, SUCH AS YOU, ME... AND MAYBE SO MUCH MORE." **He** then pulled a small black box, whose obvious contents were making clients all around gasp in elated surprise, not even believing that they were witnessing such a grandiose event. "LENI, SWEET AND RAVISHING LENI... WOULD YOU, ON THIS HISTORIC DAY FOR THE EARTH... EARTH... EARTH..._ "

( _Back to the Real World_ )

"Earth to Leni, Earth to Leni ! Request to come back on solid ground, pronto !" quietly but sternly ordered Lynn, as she shook her sister like a coconut palm. But to no avail, as not only did Leni still not reply and kept her eyes focused on the still gloating Papyrus, a big goofy smile grew right along the big blush on her face, and her pupils actually took the shape of hearts. The sisters could even swear little pink hearts were rising from her head now and again.

"I knew someday Leni would crash. I just never thought it would happen so suddenly, and before college." commented Lola rather casually.

"Such radiant happiness. Ugh, it almost makes my skin sting." unhappily quipped Lucy, taking a step back from the enamoured ball of sunshine.

Lori scratched her chin in contemplation, observing her ditzy sister as Lily was attempting to squish Leni's cheeks to get a reaction out of her. She then tried with her Blankie 2.0., and was astounded when she met the same result. The comforting power of Goat Mom, ineffective ?! Madness !

"I've never seen Leni like that, not even before 70% off _Katie Diamond_ heels. And yet, this look, it seems so familiar for some reason." muttered Lori thoughtfully.

Luna felt the need to agree on this. "I know what you mean. And why does she keep a laser focus on that dude in particular- Ooooooh." suddenly realised the cool musician, and the others quickly followed in the enlightenment. "Oooh boy, things just got a heck lot weirder. And that's saying something."

' _What are they all whispering so excitedly ? I wanna know too !_ ' wondered Lincoln, as his body was starting to ache from the sheer effort of staying merged with the lamp's shape.

* _For your sake, you must stay focused. See the lamp, know the lamp, **be** the lamp. _

' _Hey, nice to hear you again, BUT YOU'RE NOT HELPING !_ '

Back to the two monsters, Sans admired his bro being the coolest as usual. Yeah, this was pretty much the reason he woke up in the morning. That, and Grillby's. But big brother code obliged, Sans had to jab once more, "y'know, i've got a feeling this lamp can really help ya."

Lincoln immediately stopped complaining to himself, sweat beginning to pour down his forehead. Fortunately, Papyrus' curiosity wasn't piqued, but his ire was. "ARGH, SANS ! STOP TRYING TO SHOWER YOUR LAZINESS ONTO ME, YOU LAZYBONES ! WHAT AM I EVER GONNA MAKE OUT OF YOU ?!"

Sans looked offended at this. "now that's just not fair, bro. i did a ton of work today."

"OH ? IN THAT CASE, I'M VERY SO-"

"a **skele-ton**." finished Sans, winking at an invisble audience.

* _Ba dum tss !_ *

Out of instinct, nine pairs of hands flew to Luan's mouth, which included hers. The yellow-clad jokester was doing the best she could to hold in her raucousious laughter, but the call of the bad pun sweetly rung to her ears. The only one not to participate in this common effort was the still enthralled Leni, who was now standing on solid stone after the snow under her feet had mysteriously melted.

Papyrus however, wasn't laughing at all. "SANS, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD !"

"ah, c'mon bro. i see that smile on your face." said Sans with the cheekiest of grins.

"THAT IS MY NORMAL FACE, AND YOU KNOW IT !" Papyrus furiously shot back. He then crossed his arms, and sighed wistfully. "WHY MUST SOMEONE AS AMAZING AS MOI, NEED TO DO SO MUCH FOR SOME FORM OF RECOGNITION ?"

Sans' smile immediately softened. If there was one thing the guy couldn't bear to watch, it was his bro losing his peps. "c'mon bro, don't be like that. It's only a matter of time before you become the hottest thing of the underground, even more than hotland."

"YOU THINK SO ?" asked Papyrus with renewed hope.

"absolutely, believe me on that. because..."

Papyrus frowned. "OH NO."

"i can feel it _**in my bones.**_ " cracked the skeleton with another piercing wink towards a certain wall.

* _Ba dum tss !*_

Luan's cheeks doubled in size, as her contained laughter had just became even harder to control. Still, the siblings were managing to keep it in, but for how much longer ?

"UUURGH !" groaned Papyrus out of pure annoyance, before dropping everything in an _I'm-so-done_ type of sigh. "YOU KNOW WHAT ? NEVER MIND ALL THAT. I SHALL GO BACK TO ADD THE FINISHING TOUCHES TO MY PUZZLES !" He started to depart down the path he came, before turning towards Sans. "OH, AND SANS ? I FEEL LIKE _YOUR_ WORK IS LACKING... A BIT OF **SPINE** ! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH !" Papyrus proudly laughed, quickly skipping out of view, but not before coming back, dropping one last "HEH !", and then disappearing.

Luan's situation was getting critical now. Her entire face was becoming redder by the second, her bloated cheeks looked ready to explode, and the many hands over her mouth were shaking like the lid of a boiling kettle. Even her eyes were comically inflating. She just... couldn't... hold it... any longer !

Sans blinked, impressed that he had tasted some of his own medicine. But instead of a frown, Sans continued to smile with a gleam of pride, even wiping a non-existant tear away. "his first skeleton pun. i'm so proud." Sans then called the kids out of hiding. "cost is all clear, you can come ou-"

" _ **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !**_ " blurted out Luan, unwinding all of her canned hilarity at once. For a good moment, she just kept laughing and laughing on the snowed ground, as her roommate sat by her side and gently patted her hand, knowing how much of a strain it had been for her. The other sisters emerged from their hideout, and first went over to Lincoln, who was still posing as a lamp.

"I think I have a cramp in my everywhere..." whimpered Lincoln with a pained expression.

"Alright, I got this. It's gonna hurt for just a second." Lynn cracked her knuckles. She tipped her brother over, sat on his back, wrapped her legs under his shoulders, and grasped his ankles. She then jerked all four limbs back to her, making an audible crack that made both humans and monster wince, and one Lincoln shout in pain. But the action had indeed done the trick, and Lincoln's cramps were but a bad memory.

"Thanks Lynn." woozily said the white-haired boy.

"Don't mention it." replied Lynn with a playful hair ruffle. She then gained a frown as she approached Sans. "And you ! What's the big idea in snitching on us ?!"

"Not cool, Sans." chided Lana with a shake of her head.

"girls, girls... and guy, you've got it all wrong." lazily vouched the grinning monster. "see, i insisted on showing him the lamp and the tree so much, paps thought i was just messing around, and thus didn't give it any second thought. all part of the plan, I tell ya."

"Hmm, worn out the importance of an element by constantly referring it, while it in fact holds more than the subject dare to even imagine. Hazardous, but quite effective psycholigical method you've got there." commended Lisa.

"years of messing with my bro comes with its experience." _That_ , the elder siblings could fully agree with. "besides, even if he _had_ found you out, you would have been alright. my bro tries to look tough and scary, but deep down, he wouldn't hurt a whimsun."

The kids perked up at this. Papyrus had indeed seemed to be nothing more than a goofball with a bit of an ego, and who couldn't bear indolence. If they played their cards right, they could get a good friend and ally out of this. Perhaps a bit more useful than the one they currently had. Far from their minds to diss Sans, but the guy certainly seemed to be the kind of guy to mess around with their expectations. And besides one prank expert, this didn't up their faith in his usefulness. But time could only tell.

It had certainly done that a lot already...

Speaking of Luan, the teen was slowly coming back to her senses, though she still softly held her aching ribs, yet had this same big grin drawn on her face. "Woo, that was... that was some pun-nado you unleashed there. So much that I was gasping for _air_ , and had to _unwind_ for a bit. My good sir, you've got _gale_."

Luan's siblings groaned, almost out of pain. The clownette was feeling very creative today, and it ravished no one. Some were even contemplating taking drastic action upon looking at the woods... but quickly shook it off. Of course they would never do that, but the girl had better stop trying to force their minds into considering it.

 **But the worst was yet to come** , as Sans' grin grew. "nah, there's no game here, because nobody really _winds_ , as much it would be _tempest_ to admit it. that'd be too much of an _air_ ror, so i must _deflate_ your comment immediately. _Soar_ ry."

And just like that, unbridled joy brightened Luan's face like a Christmas Tree, while the others' fell into the horror of only finding a bag of black wet coal under said tree. Wet, so that way it wouldn't even be useful to light up a fire.

"By Ace Savvy's lucky undies... _there are_ ** _TWO_** _of them._ " whispered Lincoln with fearful momentum.

"Of all the ways the Apocalypse could happen, it had to be this way." murmured Lucy in distraught acceptance. "Forces from above and below, you've got a very twisted sense of humour."

"I think humour is litteraly not going to survive this !" commented Lori. Toriel had been a fan of those puns, but had been kind enough to deal them rather sparsely. However, this was something else entirely. Two jokesters of a magnitude that could certainly make entire blocks flee in fear were meeting up, and had already exchanged some puns that only promised thousands, no, _millions to come !_ And they, innocent children, would be caught into this Pun Hurricane, and blown away like mere twigs, powerless to even be able to walk against it.

Forget ASGORE and Flowey. **Those two** would be their demise.

Lily whimpered fretfully, and nuzzled Lily's chest almost beckondly. Lori could only pat her little head, and solemnly said, "I'm scared too, Lily. We all are right now."

Completely obvious to the spiral of despair behind her, Luan felt in Under-Heaven. First Toriel, and now their first friend in this new area loved puns ? And not just hearing them, making them too ?! Salty water was now running down the girl's cheeks, while Sans only cocked an eyebrow at her action, still with his easygoing smile.

"um, easy there... luan, right ? i know i'm hilarious, but i can't be moving you to tears yet." said Sans as he offered her a napkin. Luan gracefully accepted it, and quite litteraly honked her nose in the white piece of fabric.

"Sorry, sorry." sniffled Luan with trembling excitement. "It's just... people laughing at my jokes are rare, and those returning them are even rarer ! I've met some of course, very good friends, but it's just so good to meet new faces, even if they have _no skin_ to tickle ! Get it ?"

"oh i get it, but don't worry. you can still tickle my _funny bone_."

"Ha ! That one's a classic !" chortled Luan with a slap on her knee. But before the conversation could be expanded any further, Lynn and the twins jumped on Luan, with Lynn blocking her mouth while the twins grabbed her midsection.

"Sorry to cut you two short, but you two are _really_ not seeing the time fly by." stated Lynn with a tight and twitchy smile, a pun away from eating her own ponytail. "It's not that your conversation isn't _infuriatingly_ nice, but we need to go if we don't want to spend the night in the snow."

"...m'kay." shrugged the amused monster. He watched as the trio took their squirming big sister back to the group like movers transporting a lamp, while making sure to keep her mouth completely sealed. But as a small argument was beginning to brew, with sentences like "You cannot silence the funny !" and "Hands sterilised. I'm going for the vocal chords.", Sans caught the sight of one Loud that had been keeping particularly quiet. "say, what's going on with drooly over there ?"

Animosity stopped just in time, with the siblings ending in strange positions. Lily had no idea how she had ended sitting on Lana's cap with Luan's earmufs against her face, but it certainly amused her. After collecting themselves, the kids looked where Sans was pointing, and found a still deeply enamoured Leni, who was indeed drooling all the way to her knees. And for someone as precise with her appearance as Leni, that certainly said a lot.

"Wow, what's happening to Leni ?" asked Lincoln, feeling weirded out in seeing her sister like that, especially if there wasn't any math problem involved in the mix. He then adressed a pointy glare at a possible culprit. "Lisa, did you feed her your prototype sleeping pills again ?"

Lisa's brow scrunched up, and harumphed. "Unum, those pills have been destroyed, and I have sworn an oath to our parental units to never reecreate them before the sixth celebration of the initiation of my life. Duo, for someone as perceptive as you, dear brethern, you certainly seem to not see the obvious answer."

Lincoln took another good look at his sweet sister, and finally noticed the shape of her eyes, as well as the goofiest of all goofy smiles. This was a face he certainly was not unfamiliar with. Thank goodness she at least wasn't prone to profuse nose bleeding, just the fact of imagining it on Leni sent shivers down Lincoln's spine, and made him hear a slight gagging noise from his polter-guide.

"Ah, I see what you mean. Sorry Lis'"

"Apology acknowledged, and accepted."

"Geez Louise, Lori. _Bobby_ never did that much of an effect on you." commented Luna, cocking her brow.

"I know, right ? Not even when she showed up as a lifeguard, and that was..." Lori stopped as she sighed dreamingly at the precious memory. Luna quickly snapped her out of her trance with a snap of her fingers. "Wha ? I mean, yeah, Bobby never made me go all lights off like that, and we're litteraly the perfect couple."

"I've actually read about this." quipped Lucy as she arose right behind her sisters' backs, who couldn't fight back a yell of surprise. "It's a teaching from the Buddhist monks. They that if you feel sweaty, akward, and nervous all around, that's not true love. Quite the contrary, you'll feel relaxed and sure of yourself, because it can only work."

"Rad knowledge, dudette." complimented Luna, exchanging a small fist bump with the young Goth.

"Yep, that's me and Bobby alright." Lori contently sighed once again, before turning back to the lovey-dovey mess next to her. "Oh Leni, of all the times to get a silly crush, why now ?"

"a crush ? man, and they said living off ketchup and never working out wouldn't steal any girl's sight ever." cracked Sans with a side-glance.

"Uh, I think she's flashing on your brother, Sans. And no offense, but those guys are right. You could use some exercise." hautingly commented Lola as she still held on Luan's knees.

"yeah, i know. still, paps won't be upset about it. he's pretty much gained his second fan."

"Who's the first ?" asked Lana, to which Sans answered with a wink. The little mud lover immediately understood, and couldn't resist a small "Aaww...".

"Alright, we know the cause. Now, how do we fix... this ?" winced the sole brother. When it came to love, Lincoln knew convulted plans rarely ended well. If there was one thing that Ronnie-Anne had taught him about that sort of thing, it's to just be yourself, and stop taking every sentence for an alarming cryptic message that didn't exist.

"Perhaps some frozen water down her spine might do the trick." proposed Lisa analytically. Luna executed, and slipped an icy snowball behind her lovey-dovey sis' neck. But to everyone's beffudlement and Sans' lack of reaction, the snowball _melted_ in an instant. Even more shocking, Leni remained blissfully unaware of it, her mind still overwhelmed with visions of Papyrus. _Her_ Papyrus...

"Huh... intriguing, to say the least." concluded Lisa, scribbling down a huge question mark on a representation of Leni's atanomy.

"We gotta be more aggressive !" said Lynn vigorously. After he cupped her hands around her lips, and let a yell near Leni's ears. "YO, LENI ! IT'S THE SALES ! FRESHEST HEELS OF THE MOMENT AT THE COST OF A SIMPLE BURG AT BURPIN' BURGER ! THE DOORS ARE OPENING, RUN AS IF YOUR SOCIAL LIFE DEPENDED ON IT !"

The jock's claims were met with more salivating silence. Leni's ears had not even twitched when hearing key words that would normally get her going right through doors, even closed ones. But being hard-headed was both a quality and a default that all Louds shared, and it coud be used in every situation.

"Leni ! That nasty Raven-haired girl is calling you a talentless slob who wears discount make-up and hair extensions !" Lola attempted to call in Leni's inner warrior.

"One of Lisa's experiments litterally backfired, and now your whole dressing closet is burning down." lied Lucy, trying to get some fear out of her.

"Wowzers, is that Hugh and his just as smoking hot four cousins taking a dip with the skiniest of Speedos ? Oh, it looks like they're specifically looking for a platinium blonde to apply glistening solar oil on their perfect bods, and to take a long and _physically close_ swimming session. Now that's one deal to blindly _dive_ into !" beckoned Luan, hoping the dreamy thought would be able to surpass the ones Leni was experiencing. It was certainly taking a huge blush out of her, and almost a nosebleed when the tight swimsuit dream switched to a certain freckled emo teen.

But even as attempts rolled in one after the other, none of them seemed to even get through the first layer of Leni's cotton-candy-coated mind, and the ditzy teen kept languidly looking at one of the pine trees up ahead as if it was Papyrus himself. The sibs sadly gazed at what their kind sister had become, and would probably be like for the rest of her life.

"Alas, poor Leni. We knew her well." solemnly recited Luna, pressing her purple cap against her chest. Sans strangely felt like his skull should be somewhere in this image, but paid it no mind.

But as acceptance was hitting Leni's younger siblings, an idea suddenly came to Lori. The young woman felt a bit stupid for not having thought of it earlier. She advanced to Leni's position, raised her lips to her ear, and softly hummed a very familiar tune. Said tune struck Leni's brain like lightning, and she was thrown back to reality with a euphoric gasp.

"THE ICE-CREAM TRUCK IS HERE !" she excitedly yelled, then was quickly disappointed when all she saw was a bare forest of certainly not mint chocolate-flavoured trees. But she had no time to be mad, as a wave of dizzyness followed, leaving her to guess, "Um, like, what was I doing for the last five minutes ?"

"Never mind that." assured Lori, gently patting her beanie-covered scalp. "It's just good to have you back."

Confused Leni was confused. "Was I gone ?"

"I'd say, yes and no. But like Lori said, don't worry about it too much." chuckled Lincoln with a slight sweatdrop.

"Oh, okay."

"Urgh, can we please go now ?" groaned Lynn impatiently. There was a brand new world to discover afoot, and the jitters going down in her knees were getting unbearable to the girl of action that she was. And her polar opposite on that matter quickly agreed.

"sportgirl's got a point. you'd better get going before my bro comes back. 'cause if you choose to stay here..." Sans playfully winked. "you'll have to listen to more of my jokes."

Luan raised a finger. Her siblings, save for confused Leni, heavily glared at her. Luan lowered her finger.

"guessing that's a no ? eh, that's fine, i'm sure we'll see eachother soon." shrugged the lazybones, instantly bringing back Luan's excited smile and the others' groans.

"Well, bad puns aside, it's honestly been nice meeting you, Sans." warmly commended Lori.

"You're alright, mate. Just tone down the creepy stalker first impression for the next guy." stated Luna with a snap of her fingers.

"ok." simply said Sans. Luna could tell the skeleton wasn't even trying to sound honest, but shrugged it off. She swore, those monsters were getting quirkier at every encounter. Save for Flowey of course.

"Alright, then I guess we'll be going !" concluded Lincoln, happy to finally be able to proceed on their journey. Not just for the thrill of the mystery up ahead, which was still the biggest factor, but also to stop seeing the grinning monster sending side glances in his direction every thirty seconds. Seriously, what had he done to deserve such an unnerving treatement ? Was it his hair ? Natural white hair was something rather rare to see on someone, he had to admit that.

Yeah, had to be the hair. What special thing could Lincoln have that his sisters hadn't ?

 _What indeed..._

"Thanks for your help, Sansy !" Luan gleefully waved. It seemed she had already found a nickname for her pun buddy. "Hope to see ya _skelat_ \- uh, I mean see ya later ! Yep, totally what I meant, hehe." she tightly grinned at her sibs, who nodded and let the threatening snow fall off their hands. Close curtain call for the comedienne.

With that said, the children began exiting the clearing to once again follow the path. But before they could even pass the wooden station, Sans called to them. "actually, before you go, mind helping a skeleton out with a small favour ?"

Some, Lynn especially, groaned at the interruption, but eventually gave sign that they were listening to the friendly skeleton's demand.

"see, it's about my bro. he's been a bit on the gloomy side lately, sighing to himself repeatedly at times. but maybe you guys can help him gain back his old dynamism back."

Lola blinked, bemused. "Really ? What we saw was him feeling under the weather ? Wow, does he even sleep ?" Lana elbowed her, which almost sent Lola into a fit, but she thankfully remained calm. "I mean, how can we help him ?"

"well, my bro's never seen any human before. and seeing how much he wants to capture you, could you, y'know, play along ?"

"I must warn you. I mostly do tragedies." monotoned Lucy.

"Hey, how come she gets to say puns, and I don't ?!" complained Luan indignantly.

"Because my pun meter hasn't _froze_ at the maximum level." explained Lucy, taking extra pleasure in that little teasing grin she threw at her big sis, who put on a rare grumpy face.

"Sooo, you want us to get captured, so your bro can be happy ?" resumed Lana, scratching the back of her head. "Not gonna lie, I like the thought, but I'm not really feeling hot about the result."

Sans was quick to put the kids' worries to rest. "you don't need to be captured, you just gotta play my bro's games, follow his rules. don't worry, i'm not asking you to lose or anything, just to play and make paps' day. whaddya' say ?"

The Louds didn't even need a sibling circle to decide on that. Upon looking at eachother, each could tell the other had the same answer as they did. A great way to repay Sans for his help, and a way to make their journey a lot more enjoyable. Grins sprouted on faces all around. How could they ever say no to such a fun-sounding request ?

"You know what Sans ? If your brother is as nice as you say, why not ?" Lori said with an imitation of Sans' careless shrug. The others gleefully agreed, and Sans' grin gained gratitude.

"heh, thanks a million guys. i'll see y'all up ahead. Bye."

Sans indeed departed, but instead of going ahead the path like he had just said, he took the completely opposite way, leaving very confused Louds behind.

"Did he just... when he said..." blabbered Lynn, gears in her head running fierce.

"I must advise that we don't ponder about this too much." said Lisa as she tiredly rubbed her forehead. "I'm already going through quite the migraine just trying to find a rational explanation to his action."

Girls and boy agreed on the matter, and resumed their advance, each step getting them closer to Home.

* * *

Surrounded by even more pine trees, the kids found the path dividing itself in a fork, with one path going straight ahead, and one path going on the left. The fork itself was far from being empty. On the left corner ahead, were a wooden sign and a little wooden chest. And on the left corner right next to them, was a familiar yellow star.

"Yes ! Finally, a Save Point !" celebrated Lincoln in deep relief. The helpful little light promised not only a further point for the kids to come back to, but also a guarantee to NOT go through their encounter with Flowey again. And in their minds, it rung as right as a plate of chocolate-coated _piecakes_.

"Go Lincs, touch it !" encouraged Luna with her rock pose. Lincoln quickly obliged, and the instant his hand grazed the Save Point, his eyes lit up with its mystic crismon hue, and spoke in a dual voice once more.

* _"Feeling the fresh snow crunch under your boots... Thinking about the convenience of that lamp... it all fills you with **determination !** "_

Lincoln's face reddened a bit afterwards, as he could hear the giggles of his sisters. "What ? You had to admit it was one convenient lamp !" the boy tried to defend himself. Much to his embarassement however, all he got out of it were cheek pinches and teasing pats on the back. Accepting his fate, he quickly pressed the Save button.

 _ **LOUDS – Snowdin Box Road**_

 _ **LV1 – 172:02**_

 **File saved successfully !**

"So, which way do we go next ? Geez, I hope this place doesn't turn out to be a labyrinth." wondered Lana out loud.

"Walls upon walls of eternal wandering. One way to go, I suppose." shrugged Lucy.

"You're gonna keep that attitude through the whole rest of our journey, aren't you ?" deadpanned her eldest sister. Lucy only answered with a slight rising of the edges of her lips.

"Wait, look ! Someone lost their suitcase !" gasped Leni in alarm, bringing her siblings' attention onto the chest on their right. Looking at it closely, the box wasn't as small as they first thought, and possessed an intriguing golden buckle, its shine increased by the small aura rippling over it.

"A chest ?" said Lola. She then elatedly gasped. "I bet there's a treasure inside ! Dibs on anything that shines !" But before her small greedy hands could reach the item full of promises, she was forcefully pulled backwards by her ditzy sister, and ended up face first in the snow.

"You can't peek in other people's propreties ! Like, it's super rude." chatised Leni with crossed arms. Muffled angry growling was Lola's comeback.

"I don't think this is someone's luggage, sis." reasonned Luna as she took notice of the small sign next to the chest. "' _This is a **box**. You can store items, and take them later on. Other boxes will appear on the way, and they'll always contain the items you've placed inside them, so don't worry about coming back. Thievry-proof guarantee ! Sincerely, a box lover._ '"

"Dang it ! I could've stored up that big stick after all !" huffed Lynn, stomping her cleated boot in frustration. "Ah well, let's just open the thing already. Maybe there's a prize inside after all."

The brunette firmly grabbed the chest's edge, but stopped when she felt a weird sensation slithering up her arm, taking a turn at her shoulder, and reached her chest. This apparently made her orange SOUL blink into existance for a mere instant, and its vibrant hue was mirrored by the handle just as quickly. Only then did the chest open, revealing emptiness that seemed larger than the box itself. Save for one small item that rested in the top right corner. As she looked at it, Lynn could swear she was feeling it calling to her. And, well, she wasn't one to spit on free stuff, so she took it out for further inspection.

The rather worn-out-looking item was a thin leather glove. It looked comfy, yet sturdy, and gave off quite the manly mood despite its pink colour. The image of two entwined rings rested on its top, with the words ' _Suck'em, champ !_ ' written on its palm. Needless to say, Lynn was quite thrilled with her finding.

"Sick ! You were right bro, this is a much more _me_ kind of weapon !" praised Lynn as she put on her new handwear. She immediately tried it by swinging a couple of quick jabs, and was pleased by how easy the handgear flew forward. "Oh yeah, that's good stuff right there ! I mean, I usually avoid pink, but this one's so sweet, I'm giving it a pass."

Suddenly, another weird feeling invaded her SOUL, but only hers. Heart and glove both glowed a **bold** orange, and Lincoln's inner narrator orated once more.

* _"You've equipped the Tough Glove. ATK increases by 5. With its thin-leathered texture, this handgear is very appreciated by sportives with hands."_

"Huh, makes you wonder what limbless sport addicts do wear." speculated Lori.

"Bandanas of course ! Even if you're just a headless rock, they do stay pretty stylish !" joke-philosophied Luan, to which the sibs nodded in agreement.

"Oh man, that is so cool ! Now I've got my own way to crack some ribs !" fiercely boasted Lynn. And hearing her saying that rung an alarming bell inside Lori's mind.

"Wow, time out there ! Remember what we said about Fighting ? _Or_ what happened the last time we... I used that option ?" sternly reminded Lori with a slight wince on the last words. The blonde leader was recovering from that fateful vision, but the wound was still a little too sore for comfort.

Lynn likewise lost a bit of her excitement over this, and her smile turned a tad sheepish. "Yeah, I remember. I didn't mean knock out every little mean monster we come across, just that if we need some muscle to weigh in, now I have the tool to help me." Lynn then gasped and dropped to her knees, clasping her hands in a praying fashion. "Please don't take it away ! I'll be super duper careful with it ! I even promise I won't use it to noogie people ! Except maybe Lincoln and Luce." Lincoln's experssion soured, as did Lucy's. _I uh, think so at least..._

The balance of fate rested solely in Lori's hands at the moment. And she had to decide what direction it should tip towards. The potential usefulness of the glove and her sister's sincere demand, against the knowledge of her usual recklessness and the weapon's dangerous impact reminded to her by that infamous memory. A quite fair match, which left Lori a bit uncertain about her final verdict.

' _Hmm, she does seem pretty honest about it._ ' she thought, starting to mellow before scrunching her brow when a memory hit her.' _But last time she made such an honest-sounding demand, it was to swap the leaf raking chore of last Fall for her own gutter washing chore, that she deemed just too boring to bother with. An hour later, I found her plowing through the leaf piles she'd been making to practice her wrestling moves, spreading them even more all over the grass than before ! And we're not just talking about procrastinating here, lives could be on the line if anything goes awry._ ' Then another thought came back to her. ' _But then again, we have that power to go back. It's not like we can't fix that sort of error... Urgh, now I'm talking casually about life-loss in the way Flowey does ! Okay, now's a good time as any to say what's on my mind. Especially because they're probably getting really weirded out at the expressions I'm making._ '

"Boy, I had no idea you could scrunch up your face that much at only seventeen." simply commented Lola , earning a nod from her bro and candid-minded big sis.

Lori shook her head to get rid of whatever expression she'd just been wearing, and held a neutral stare over Lynn, who gulped in apprehension. The eldest Loud inhaled and closed her eyes, breaths hitched in suspense... and were released when Lori opened her peepers with a smile.

"Alright Lynn, you can keep it. But hold in mind, I'm _trusting_ you with it, so you better prove yourself worthy of it. Am I clear ?" orated Lori quite flowingly, holding her head high. Her proud stance was broken when Lynn grabbed her into a bear hug.

"YES ! Thanks Lori, you're the best !" celebrated Lynn with joy and a little victory dance of her own, so much that it spured the twins and Luan to join her.

Lori nodded to herself, and felt a nudge from a grinning Luna. "Heck-a good job you did there, sis. Almost thought Tori was speaking for a moment." she warmly complimented. Lori could only smile with swelling pride in her heart, while her baby sister furthered it by cooing and pressing her head against her big sis' shoulder, her own means of congratulating her.

"I'm as jubilant as you all presently are about this verdict, but perhaps we should now proceed." advised Lisa with her usual stoicism. "Now, I must suggest we head North first. I can't help but find this sound of flowing liquid rather intriguing, and feel we should investigate it for any possible roadway. Besides, water tainted by * _sigh_ * magic could provide interesting readings to further my findings on how the Underground functions as a whole."

"Everyone on board with Lisa's idea says aye." regulated Lori. Of course, all voiced their approval. "Motion passed. Now let's get in _motion_ as well." she said with a sly grin.

"Oh c'mon, now you're doing it on purpose !" vented Luan. Her sibs giggled at seeing her getting a dose of her own fizzy water. The optimistic Loud couldn't stay mad too long, and joined in the sound of laughter so sweet to her ears, but inside Luan plotted her revenge, one that would be full of puns and quirky Loony Luan moments. _Soon..._

The Louds left the fork with hope and curiosity, while Lynn, as she followed, enjoyed her new equipement some more, and wondered. Who could be careless enough to leave this sweet baby in an old chest in the middle of the forest ? Thinking about it... the sign had said this box was thief-proof, which had to mean you couldn't take out items that weren't yours. And yet she found something in it, even though this was the first time she or her siblings were finding one of those. It just made no sense !

 _The thing was **SOUL** scanning after all. And hers was pretty unique... right ?_

* * *

Lisa's theories had once again proven to be correct, and the Louds found themselves in front of a river bank. To the dismay of some, the water wasn't looking, feeling, or even being any different than the one you'd find in a regular stream. To add on the lack of expectation fulfillment, both sides of the river were paved with nothing else but snow and pine trees. Not a new soul to talk with, and no new path to explore.

Although, _one_ thing did stand out in this otherwise bland scenery. A lonely red fishing road sitting on their side of the river, with its line in the water, and a little blanket of snow on its handle that certainly showed how long it hadn't been moved.

"Geez, monsters leave junk all around more than... well, _we_ do sometimes." said Lincoln as he brushed some of the snow off the rod.

"Maybe the guy got attacked by a shark ?" theorisied Lana, peeking over the edge to see if she could spot one. She was quickly followed by the most neutral-faced of the bunch. Lisa in hopes of discovering a brand new kind of Selachimorpha, and Lucy for her obvious Lucy reasons.

"I got the feeling our answer's at the end of that line, dudes." reasonned the ever-rocking teen. With that in mind, she took the rod, and used the tips her dad had given to get that reel spinning as swiftly as her windmill guitar moves. A handful of second later, the hook finally showed up with its catch. It was no fish, but certainly looked fishy. As in very strange for even being there.

"...Why is there a _picture_ attached to a fishing rod ?" derped Leni, learning that you apparently could do just that. Was it some sort of modern fishing method ? All she thought she knew about fishing was proving to be wrong ! Which, seeing how little she knew, wasn't that impressive of an achievement.

Lori went ahead, and unhooked the photo to take a good look at it. "Why indeed, Leni. If it's a monster custom, Toriel didn't say anything about JIBBUS !" she suddenly shouted out of sheer disgust, quickly shielding Lily's eyes, who could only wonder who had turned off the sun. Lori dared to take another look, and almost retched on the spot. "Oh my gosh, this the worst selfie I've ever seen in my entire life, and I litteraly mean it !"

Just like the hook in their first fishing experience, the curiosity of Lori's siblings had been piqued, and joined Lori to peek over her shoulder. They immediately and bitterly regretted doing that.

"Aaaah, my eyes ! My beautiful eyes are burning !" shrieked Lola with her hands clasped on her closed peepers.

"I can already taste the nightmares coming from seeing this. And I do NOT like it." shivered the now-even-more-tortured eight year-old.

"I'm no pro of that selfie junk, all I know is that you don't get any of them from below, because it equals maximum ugliness. Like when Lily took some of Lori, making it look like she had a triple chin, heh. But you can't tell me it can get _that_ bad !" Lynn stuck her tongue.

"If my eyes weren't so precious for the adequate accomplishment of my work, I wouldn't hesitate in using some almagation of water and sodium hypochlorite on them, also commonly known as **liquid bleach**." stated Lisa rather neutrally, though the tint of green on her cheeks said otherwise. "Those plans of a memory-erasing machine of that prospector from _**Oregon**_ couldn't be more awaited."

"And I thought Dad cracking his skinny jeans with his red speedo underneath would be the ugliest thing I'd ever get to see." gagged Luna.

"AAAAH, now I'm seeing both of them at the same time !" shouted Lincoln with a double feeling of sickness that only increased by the eye-scooping memory.

"Is that red thing his mouth, or his eyes ?" asked Lana. She quickly retracted her statement however. " _Urp_. Y'know what, never mind. I don't think my stomach can handle either answer, and it costs me to admit it."

"Give the poor sap some credit. He is really desperate to _hook_ up with someone." Luan restrained her usual giggles in fear of puking by accident. What the jokester was referencing was the little writing above the, um, _guy_ , composed of a ' _Call me !_ ' and a phone number.

Amongst all the yells of disgust and eye-removing claims, Leni stood as the straight man ! Woman. Child ? She stood as the straight Leni ! "I can't believe you guys ! Why are you so mean to him ? I mean, sure, he's... not a supermodel." she winced, looking away with shake of her head before the picture could print itself in her retina. "But he deserves love as much as anyone ! I'm sure he's just looking for the right girl for him, the one that will make his heart beat ultra-fast, and make a ton of pretty butterflies fly inside his body !"

Lynn rolled her eyes and smirked. "Oh, you mean like you and Papy- hmmf !" she was suddenly gagged by a round of multi-sized hands. But it was too late, the harm had been done. Leni's body stiffened, then softened into the lovey-dovey mess of before. Leni wasn't what you could exactly call sharp, but the giggle she produced was one of a true fried-brain fashion. All her grey matter had turned orange, and all her thoughts had turned Papyrus-related.

"Yes, Papy, I will marry you..." drooled the fashionista. "And I want seven children, one to love each day of the week... I'll write to the stork right now..."

"Alright, enough of that. Wake up !" said Lori, quickly snapping her fingers in front of Leni's face. Fortunately, the simple trick worked this time, and Leni woke up with a start.

"Wha ?! Lori ! Like, I was having an amazingly hunky dream ! Why'd you wake me ?" pouted Leni, wanting nothing more than to return to said handsome dreamscape.

"Dude, you totally crashed on us right now ! _Hugh_ doesn't have that effect on us ! Or his, heh, hella sweet accent..." chuckled Luna with a lick of her lips, before slapping herself awake. "Sorry, had a moment. But seriously, just look at all that drool dripping down your cheeks !"

"Huh ?" Leni patted her wet cheek. "EEK ! I'm worse than Lily when she eats mashed carrots ! No offense, Lily."

Lily answered with a happy coo, muffled by the fist in her mouth she was busy drooling all over.

"Seriously, what is your deal with Paaaaa- that skeleton guy ?" Lincoln sighed in relief. That was one close call. "I mean, he seems like a pretty neat guy, I'll admit that, but I just don't get what is it that makes you completely shut down like that.."

"Yeah, you've had a lot of crushes before, but none as serious as this one, _tibia_ perfectly honest. Hahahaha, get it ?" guffawed Luan. Lana the Kid immediately gave her the stink eye, and the comedienne nervously cleared her throat. "Furthermore, I'm not one to judge about this sort of things, but all your other crushes were, you know... _human_."

Leni gasped in deep offence. She could not believe what she was hearing. "So rude ! Just because he's not human, that means he's gotta be treated differently ? That's just shampoo ! Wait no, sha... sha... shameful, yeah !"

"That's not what she meant, dude !" Luna attempted to appease her big sis. "It's just, y'know, he's lacking a load of stuff you usually like about a guy."

Leni sulked still. "Well, _I_ still like him ! I mean, have you seen the way he talks, so full of passion ? The way he lightened up those woods just by being there ? His totes classy armour ?! And... all the rest." she sighed languorously. "His shiny eyes, his statuesque physique, his long toned legs, and those abs... you could melt chocolate on those... * _Hungry drooling noises_ *"

* _Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap !_ *

Such was the sound of Lily playing a quick bongo tune on Leni's cheeks. The slaps were light and benign to the teen, but were enough to once again pull her back to the real world. When she did so, all Leni could see were rather curious expressions on her sibs' faces.

"While I can see why his quirky vestments and passionate spirit could infatuate you, I must draw a line over 'all the rest'." air-quoted Lisa matter-of-factly. "You do realise that this dear fellow possess none of the physical attributes you've just described ? **At all ?** " Leni angled her head to the side with a lost expression. Lisa understood that she needed simpler vocabulary. "He is a **skeleton**. He does not have eyes, or muscles, or even skin for that matter !"

"And yet, I could still see them. He was just that much of a gem." swooned Leni, her arm dramatically pressed against her forehead.

"Nice one." Lucy broke into a tiny applause, always a fan for some improvised limericks.

While the siblings argued over this new developpement while keeping Leni from falling into another Papy-coma, Lincoln approached Lori. "Do you think she's gonna be okay like that ?" asked Lincoln with clear worry in his voice. "If she fritzes every time she even hears Papyrus' name, it's gonna make things a lot harder for us."

Lori agreed with her brother's claim, but she also knew that an intense bout of love wasn't something to easily trifle with. "But we can't exactly break what she has. Do you remember what happened last time we had a sad Leni on our arms ? And I litteraly mean a **sad** Leni."

The boy winced. How could he ever forget that unfair review some jealous critic had given over Leni's own summer collection in the High-school paper ? It had taken days for the poor girl to smile again. And with someone like Leni, it had certainly dealt a blow on the Loud House morale as a whole. Though they had gotten a slight kick over finding that guy and 'kindly' make him 'reconsider' his judgement. Yeah, they had been 'kind' enough to spare his hands so he could write another review, more objective this time around.

But yeah, seeing a broken Leni once in his life was enough of an experience, and Lincoln had no will to deal with it again. "I see what you mean. Well, on the bright side, it's not some tatooed jerk she's falling for. You know, the kind of guy that would turn Leni into a punk."

Lori snorted at the image of Leni looking like a bad girl, asserting her style before looking in the mirror, and screeching in pure horror at her shaved hair. "This Papyrus guy is odd, but he does remind me of Leni on certain points, and kind of in a good way. Maybe letting this ship flow wouldn't be that bad of an idea, as long as she doesn't go overboard and wish to stay with him forever." rationalised Lori with a nod. She then turned her head to consult the infant in her arms. "What do you say, Lily ? Do we let your big sis fall for the monster of her dreams ?"

Lily's thoughts on Papyrus was that his overall presence felt warm and pleasant, reminding her of a certain teddy bear she owned. And that was a crucial good point in her book, so she joyfully clapped in agreement.

"That's that then." concluded Lincoln with an excited grin. "We just keep an eye on them both, and make sure it doesn't hinder our progress too much. Heck, maybe it'll help Papyrus and Sans to become our friends, so that they'll vouch for us to the other monsters, making them stop raining magic assaults our SOULs the moment they see us !"

"Now that's a plan I like to hear." replied Lori with just as much enthusiasm, ruffling her bro's albino-coloured hair. With this in mind, she whistled to get everyone's attention. "Alright guys ! The day isn't getting any younger, so let's bounce !"

"What about Leni's weird crush ?" asked Lola earnestly, making Leni scowl.

"We'll put a pin on it for now. We keep our rule over another sibling's crush as it is, meaning it's not our place to decide, _but_ we get to kick their butt if the crush does something hurtful to said sibling. End of the story." concluded the Loud leader.

"Does that mean me and Papy can be a thing ?!" asked Leni with her body shaking with brimming excitement. Luna and Luan immediately went for a soothing arm rub, while Lynn attempted to massage out the fireworks exploding inside the fashionista's head.

"Yes, you can. _BUT_ , only as long as it doesn't get in the way of our main objective. Getting back home. Is it clear ?"

"Yes yes yes yes !" Leni broke into a dance of pure joy, accidentally knocking her three sisters down. The platinium blonde paid it no mind, imagining that she would name them as her bridesmaids as excuse. Lincoln would be her ringbearer, Lori would organise everything, Lana would pick up fresh flowers to lighten up the room, Lucy would master the organ, Lola would be her wedding dress designer, Lily would be the flower girl, and Lisa would do the priest stuff with all the complicated vows she'd remember by heart. Even Toriel would be there, making the yummiest wedding pie everyone would have ever seen !

And she, Leni Loud, beautifulest bride ever, would gracefully march down the aisle, joining arms with her magnificent skeletal husband. Flowers would spin in the air along their path, everyone would cheer for the newlyweds, her father would shed more than a few gallons of tears, and the bells would... the bells... making such a familiar sound... _She knew that sound._

"ICE-CREAM TRUCK !" Leni yelled, breaking out of her stupor to find the holy vehicle. But of course, it was just Lori humming the charming tune to her ear again. Leni blinked and looked around to see her sibs wearing deadpan and annoyed expressions, prompting her to grin a tad guiltily. "Oopsie, get what you're saying. But I'm gonna work on that, I swear, hope to fly and all that."

The siblings weren't exactly convinced, but seeing Leni's hopeful smile made them realise that they just couldn't dampen her spirits. Once again, they simply would have to go on with Leni's wacky mindset. But then again, that's how they all worked with eachother.

"So what are we waiting for ? Let's get moving, so we can find Paaaaaaaaaath that will take us back to the Surface ! Yep, totes what I meant." Leni's eyes shifted left and right in a totally not suspicious manner, then she broke into a grin. "Let's go !" And she quickly returned to the fork area, leaving her siblings with ranging expressions that had only one common point : a twinge of worry.

"Welp, that's one fine mess waiting to happen right there." concluded the little queen of messes herself. A small grin then graced her lips. "And I can tell it's gonna be a funny one too."

"Yeah, at worse, it'll be funny to see. And at best, Dad will realise that no, he couldn't think of every type of boyfriend his daughters could hook up with." cracked Lynn with the same eerie smile.

"Ha ! That one was genius !" Luan laughed, giving her a most deserved high-five.

Once they had filled their giggling quota over this pun, and put the photo back in the river by pushing it with a stick, our heroes dashed away to catch up with Leni.

Too bad really. Had they waited a little longer, they would've made a most mysterious encounter passing by this quaint little river. As **they** usually did.

" _Tralala... Will eleven surpass the strength of one ?.. Or will Determination be stretched in all sides and ripped apart ?.. Hmm, I am appearing very early in this little piece, and with so little to say. A strange character behind the keyboard indeed..._ "

* * *

"Sis, wait up !" Luna called out to Leni, who was beginning to put some distance as she strutted down to the other path the fork offered, her step energised by the thoughts of finding the lanky skeleton of her dreams.

Those did not make her deaf though, and she turned her head to look back. Unfortunately, her legs were a bit slower to receive the order to slow down, and as such, the distracted teen blindly struted for a second or two. Which was just enough for a collision with something too soft to be a tree.

"Hey ! Watch where you're going, dude !" was what Leni heard as her entire body toppled to the ground. The fall wasn't too harsh due to the layer of snow allowed by the borders of the path, but left her a little dizzy until her siblings arrived.

"You okay ? This could've really messed up your head." said Lincoln, as he and Lynn helped Leni back on her feet.

Lisa eagerly opened her mouth... then closed it, shaking her head. "Too easy, no flavour to it. I'll let this one fly by."

"Woah, you better say that again." softly gasped Lana as she took a good of the person Leni had slammed into. It was of course another monster, but a more impressive one this time around. Aside from one Goat Mom, monsters in the Ruins had been pretty small, never bigger than Lucy. But this monster was something else, standing as tall as Luna, and larger than her due to all the skyblue feathers puffing his body up. The monster seemed to be a very large bird, with a bit of lizard-like features, in the form of his slightly scaly yellow belly. He stood on his two talons, had bright round yellow eyes, and a stout beak full of small teeth. However, his main trait resided in the shape of his blue face, which adorned a large white five-branched snowflake in the middle of it, separating his eyes and beak and giving him the true appearance of a winter bird.

Said bird monster was presently patting his wildened feathers, grumbling to himself in a young-sounding voice. "Seriously, even that hyperactive skeleton watches where he goes. What's your ex... cuse ?" he spoke, then slowed down as he too took a good look of the people in front of him. **People** , as in non-monsters.

The sibs didn't quite like the wide-eyed look that the guy was giving them. So, wanting to defuse the imminent conflict before it happened, they tried to sympathise with him, sporting tight and toothy smiles. "Yoooo, nice to meet ya. H-How are things going in Winterland, eh love ?" greeted Luna nervously.

"A rather unforgivly cold day, wouldn't you say ?" attempted Lucy with a _chilling_ remark. _(*Spooky Rimshot*)_

"I really like your... feathers ?" said Lola, tempted to ask Lisa how sweating in such a cold area was even possible.

The bird monster kept gazing at the pack of humans, blinking ever so often to prove that he was still conscious. Once he remembered a certain rumour about a bunch of humans having appeared in the Underground, plus a rough drawing of what a human looked like, the cables in his mind connected. His brow turned into a frown, his plumage puffed up, and a familiar glint passed through his eyes. "Humans !" he crowed while taking his stance.

The Louds felt their SOULs appear, and realised that just like that, their first fight outside of the Ruins had just started.

* _"Snowdrakes flutters into battle !"_

 **Fight engaged !**

"Alright girls, we've litteraly dealt with this before, so let's just do our best like always." asserted Lori, to which her siblings made a saluting sign. "Lincoln, show us what we're dealing with here !"

"Aye aye, Lori !" said Lincoln, like a soldier to his sargeant. ' _Time to get eloquent again, narrrator person._ ' he thought jokingly. They did not respond, but Lincoln could feel approval in the back of his head, and hit the _Check_ option proposed by the trusty ACT button.

* _"Snowdrake. ATK 12, DEF 7. This teen comedian fights to spread out his chilly jokes. Feathers not as soft as they first seem."_

There were two details that caught the Louds' attention in there. First, besides Toriel, this monster had the strongest attack they had seen thus far, even exceeding Nastablook's. This showed them that monsters were getting stronger as they progressed, and their attacks would probably become trickier to dodge too, meaning they'd have to be on their toes at all time.

Secondly, to their unanimous dismay minus one, the Loud siblings were facing yet _another_ comedian. Wasn't it enough that they already lived with the Queen of Puns ? The hammering of bad jokes just today had already been hectic, couldn't they get a little break ? But oh well, they thought, perhaps this one was in something else than bad puns.

(* _Ironic Rimshot_ *)

The above-named Snowflake seemed a tad fiddly as his turn began, not even looking mad anymore. He actually took a second to lick his wing, and pass it through the feathers atop of his head. His beak curved into a toothy smile, and began his act.

"Well, what's up with you smashing into me without even an apology ? Not very _ice_ if you ask me." Snowdrake akwardly winked. (* _Just as akward Rimshot_ *)

A couple of sentences was all it took to dash the siblings' hopes of finding a decent humourist in the winged monster, leaving them with nothing but a soul-crushing feeling. Or as Lucy liked to dub it, Monday. The kicker though was that not even Luan had laughed at the pun, not even a teensy snicker whistling through her braces. Instead, she focused an unusually serious gaze on the monster with a certain intensity, as if judging him.

Snowdrake was a tad put off by the lack of laughs, and looked to the side while flapping his wings. But as he did that, feathers flew out from the apendages, and instead of hitting the floor like gravity usually implied, they instead kept afloat in mid-air. And because this was still too normal for comfort, the feathers then folded themseles into the form of a crescent, turned completely white, and began to spin like buzzing saws. Not quite as fast, but they certainly had become quite sharp-looking.

Seeing this, the kids put their present feelings aside to focus their attention on the incoming feather attack. Said projectiles piled themselves into little columns, and shot out at the colourful SOULs in succession like snakes. Their approach was not straight forward, but in an angle instead, and were coming from all sides, increasing the dodging challenge significantly. The kids did their best to do so, with side-stepping, rolling around, and even a couple of skillful saltos over the sharp disks. A couple found their target however in Lola, who struggled a bit at running correctly without heels, and Leni, who was still a bit groggy from her crash. Both fashion lovers lost 4 _HP_ , but fortunately didn't lose a leg or arm from the attack, and even more fortunately, their precious haircuts were spared.

"Dang, this guy's got moves." commented Lana as she rubbed some snow on one of the cuts that had appeared on Leni's leg.

"But he doesn't have much of a sense of humour." dryly replied Lucy, still doing so quietly not to hurt Snowdrake's feelings even more. There was a fine limit to bluntness that even she didn't dare to cross.

Leni attempted to defend the monster. "Well, at least he tried, and um... yeah alright, it was pretty bad."

"Even his delivery was messed up ! At least with Loons', you can feel the comedian trying behind it, but here, it wasn't even there." put down Luna criticall), but felt the need to add, "But hey, maybe it's his first gig. Ain't uncommon to mess it up on the first try."

"Hmm..." Lori scratched her chin in contempation. "The ghost inside Lincoln's head – still can't believe I'm saying this so casually – did say something about him being a teen. Maybe it really is his first time in the spotlight."

"And maybe we can make it an enjoyable experience for him." grasped Lincoln with a snap of his fingers, smiling at the feeling of a fresh idea popping inside his head. "If we help him improve, he'll be so grateful he'll Spare us immediately. All we have to do is to respond with some jokes of our own, and this battle will be a quick wrap."

"Urgh, do we reaaaaaaaaaally have to ?" Lynn groaned loudly.

"I do not like it more than you, my dear sportaholic sister. But the action that our male sibling unit has imagined does seem to hold some meat to it, in the contrary of the last comedian we've met." concurred Lisa with a tweak of her glasses.

"Atta girl, you're already doing it !" praised Lincoln with a chuckle, that was shared amongst the group, except for the less inclined in laughter, and Luan, who still hadn't taken her gaze off the nervous Snowdrake. "Okay guys, let's unleash our inner Luan !"

With that said, the ACT button was pressed, and the new option, _Joke_ , was chosen. There was silence for a moment, only filled with the imaginary sound of cogs, hamster wheels, and a busy hardrive, all hard at work to find good jokes amongst the ocean of puns drilled into their heads by their buck-toothed sis. It wasn't that she couldn't land a decent joke from time to time, but they knew she didn't like her material being stolen so casually. Those had to be from the heart, not just off their minds.

"Ooh, I got one !" bounced Lana, arm in the air. She cleared her throat. "A plumber was called for a leak in a kitchen. Once he took care of the problem, he told the family that it was already water under the _fridge_ !"

(* _Clunky Rimshot_ *)

Lana's fair try and jazz hands didn't quite get the impact she hoped for, as the Snowdrake merely squinted his eyes at her, and flapped his wing dismissively. "Meh, already heard that one."

*" _Your pun didn't meet Snowdrake's flow._ "

"Okay, my turn ! I heard that one from Margo during last training session, and it's a rib-buster."asserted Lynn with a puffed chest and her usual assurance of ending victorious. "I play a lot of sports, but I don't do archery. There are just too many _drawbacks_ to it."

(* _Pumped Rimshot_ *)

Lynn guffawed at her own joke, and a couple of giggles came out of her sibs. However, Snowdrake was far from amused, and had the gall to scoff at the brunette. "C'mon, a sport joke ? That one's a no-brainer."

The thought of fried chicken wings did pass Lynn's mind for an instant, but she swallowed it down, just like she'd do when some punk would try making her angry to pin a foul on her. Still, it wasn't the muscle she used the most, but she _had_ a brain, and was quite proud of it ! Her brother was kind enough to pat her tense shoulder, which lessened the blood fluctuating in her seething cheeks.

* _"The ball was on a roll, but the goal wasn't reached._ "

"Okay, this one has to work." said Lori, belief strong in her voice. After all, if a joke from Toriel herself couldn't crack this tough nut, she had no idea what would ! "A fire broke out at a barber shop. It was a close _shave_ , but they all got out by a _whisker_."

(* _Polite Rimshot_ *)

Somewhere, a pun-adoring lady started chuckling for no reason at all.

This time, all the siblings were cracking up, with even the still serious Luan's lips curling upwards. Lisa allowed herself on the fun, as this joke took a pretty _sharp_ mind to fully grasp the punchline. So did Lucy, as the pun had _cut deep_ into her dark heart that ironically shone like a Marigold. _Aaaand, the Rimshot guy just went on strike. Excuse us for the shortage of drums in the following of our story._

For Snowdrake though, there seemed to be nothing hilarious to find. Quite the contrary, the monster actually seemed to get aggravated at it, a heavy frown plaguing his winter-themed face. "Okay, now you're just quoting my Dad !" he hissed through his beak, a certain venomous anger lacing his voice.

* _"Congrats. You've discovered hot waters in a winter wonderland._ "

Snowdrake's turn began, and he once again flapped his wings to draw out his razor-sharp feathers, but with a different pattern this time around. Instead of curved train positions, single crescent-shaped shots came from all sides in a straight lines. And while they weren't as fast, the attacks quickly piled up around the humans, leaving even less room for them to move around. A detail that got to Luna, Lincoln, and Lisa, slashing them all in their backs. Not the most pleasant of feelings.

"Urgh, bogus ! Both the attack and how stubborn that guy is !" hissed Luna through pain, appeased by the snow that Nurse Leni quickly applied on her back. "Oooh, that's real good that. Just a little bit to the left."

"Huh ?"

"Your good side, love."

"Oh, got it !"

"This isn't looking good. It seems your idea has met a cold wall. As we all will someday..." ranted Lucy, making Lincoln shiver, and not just from the snow being put under his coat.

"I don't understand why though. We give him new material, and he rudely flicks it away without a second thought. Where did it go wrong ?" mulled the sole brother, scratching his head both in thought and in hope to get the narrator person to make themself useful for once, but to no avail.

"Perhaps, instead of providing new wordplays to him, our Gallus gallus comoedius think that we are provoking him, by stealing his short stay in the limelight." analysed Lisa. "After all, people in general are often not too thrilled to see someone impromptly mimicking the field in which they excel the most, thus badly damaging their ego. I know I wouldn't be much enthralled if someone took over my work station, and mixed my beakers to 'show me how it's done'."

Lincoln, as well as the others, had to agree with the young prodigy. There was nothing fun about someone taking what you loved the most, and shoving into your face how much better they were at it. Lynn especially knew what it meant to be on the poker end of the stick, and how much annoyed reactions it could get you. To think she had almost ended Board Games Nights, her favourite non-sport weekly event, made her seriously reconsider her way in how to win, and also how to lose. She hadn't abandonned her love for winning or her victory dance over it, but she'd certainly been learning going on.

"Maybe we should just do it the goody-goody way." sneakily proposed Lola. "We let him tell some more jokes, and no matter how bad they are, we laugh like it's the funniest thing we've ever heard. He feels better about himself, and we are free to go !"

Lana grimaced at this, and tapped her primpy twin's shoulder. "Um, Lola ? That's called pretending and lying. Not sure if that's the really the goody-goody thing to do."

"Pshh, nonsense. Nearly everyone that lives here likes bad puns !" answered Lola matter-of-factly. She began to count on her gloved fingers. "Goat Mom, Sans, the guys who made up the puzzles in the Ruins, that creepy voice we sometimes hear out of nowhere." _Hey !_ "Even the sad little blanket Lucy is friends with likes them !" The temperature suddenly dropped around her, and she immediately flipped her tape. "I mean, the most estimated spirit skilled in various forms of art that Lucy has befriended, hehehe."

" **Good answer**." the Princess of Darkness breathed in her jittering sister's ear, as she silently slid back to her brother's side, keeping a hidden glare that sent creeping shivers down the glitter-lover's back.

All eyes, minus Luan's, fell on Lori, who was once again weighing the good and the bad of the idea, and came to this conclusion. "It's not the most moral plan we've ever devised down here, but it's still worth a shot. All in agreement ?" The siblings left a collective "Aye !", some sounding more reclutant than the others. One peppy voice seemed to be missing however, prompting Lori to turn to her in curiosity. "Well Luan ? Are you in or not ?"

"Yeah yeah, don't worry." Luan gestured loosely with a flap of her hand, not even bothering to turn around. "Do your thing, I just need to see something."

Lori raised an eyebrow. "Mind telling us more ?"

"As I said, don't worry about it. Nothing that'll _ruffle your feathers_ or anything, hahaha !" the comedienne guffawed, collecting her usual dose of exasperated groans, before reengaging Serious Luan mode.

"Alright, here goes nothing." said Lincoln, selecting the newest option avaliable in their ACT menu, _Challenge_. He then put on a challenging smile, quickly followed by his nine sisters. "Okay Snowdrake, hit us with the best you've got !"

"I thought you wanted him to tell us jokes !" said Leni in a bout of panic.

"He meant hitting us with puns, Leni." explained Lynn with a shake of her head.

It unfortunately didn't help much. "You can hit with words ?"

"Indeed, leaving you with even deeper scars than a beating could ever provide." Lucy threw in her two Lei. ( _Not a typo, look it up._ ) With a deadpan look, Lynn punched Miss Spooks' shoulder, who didn't budge, but still rubbed the sore spot.

Despite the feeling of coldness his appearance suggested, a small fire ignited itself in Snowdrake's eyes. At last, a receptive audience ! Soon, he would drown those humans in pure hilarity, and he'd finally prove to everybody, especially to _him_ , that he _so_ did have what it took to be a comedic master ! And most important of all... **she** would be proud of her little Snowy.

Adredaline pumping through his veins, nippy wind passing through his feathers, and jokes overflowing his mind, Snowdrake scratched the ground for good luck, and prepared himself to dazzle the crowd !

"Y-You've got game, humans. Keep going, and don't _snowflake_ out on the way !" Snowdrake exageratedly winked, so much that a broken snowflake jumped out of the corner of his eye, and crashed onto the floor in a pitiful manner.

A rather fitting metaphor, was the Louds' general thought.

The ten youths wanted to respond positively to the comedian, as they could feel he was trying ; even a simple fake laugh would do here. They wanted to laugh at the joke, they really did. But laughter simply couldn't come out of their throats, no matter how much they willed it to. The akward delivery, the lack of pacing, and the joke's nature that had since long dried out of any casual fun factor after being hammered on them for years. All of that combined made for the epitome of anti-humour in their eyes, and filled them with nothing but dry dread. Their lips showed just that, as their edges plummeted as if being dragged down by 2 ton weights. As for the _Pun_ sionnate Loud, she merely tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Lucy ? Like, is this how you feel everyday ?" asked Leni, trying as had as she could to get her lips back to normal, only for them to fall into cringe once more.

"On Mondays. Or back in Kindergarten, when they used to sing all those happy songs, over and over again." she recoiled from those horrendous memories, filled with smiles, soulless kitten hand puppets, and worse. "If there was one thing I learned from this place, it was to despise rainbows with everything I had."

If put off before, Snowdrake was now shocked to see the expressions the members of his small audience were giving him. Alright, so he wasn't the best at improvising. But it couldn't be _that_ bad, right ?

Undeterred, Snowdrake accentuated his efforts. "C'mon g-guys, don't gimme that _cold shoulder_ , 'c-cause _Icey_ what you're doing there."

"Aaaargh, make it stop ! There are just so many jokes my ears can take, urgh !" Lola pleaded to the heavens, regretting having ever come up with that ill-thoughted plan. Even her makeup didn't hold a place in her mind anymore, as she shoved her head under a pile of snow just to keep any more of those puns to hit her. Luan had already ruined dolphins for her, she was not going to lose the pleasures of Winter too !

"Thank goodness for Monster food..." mumbled Lori, on the verge of heaving from a bad joke overdose, only halted by the lack of content her stomach held.

"Poo-poo..." approved Lily, now not only sharing the same SOUL colour as her oldest sis, but also the same shade of green their cheeks were highlighting.

As she was trying everything she could to get those last puns from her head by throwing in every stupidly catchy song she had seen on commercials between matches of the Super Bowl, the freckled athlete suddenly clasped a hand around her arm with a bewildered expression.

"Man... that joke was so bad, I think it **physically** hurt me !" she said out of disbelief. Her _HP_ bar wasn't showing any damage done to her orange little heart, but the pain she was feeling in her elbow was telling her otherwise.

 _But the pain coursing through the young teen's arm was nothing compared to the state Snowdrake's own SOUL was currently experiencing._

 **Broken.** Few words could get a better description of how the monster was feeling. His spirit had been thoroughly pierced, so much that his combative spirit was in a poor state too, making him only produce a couple of his sharp spinning attacks, ones that didn't even aim at the humans, hitting trees instead. Snowdrake didn't care. He didn't know what he cared about anymore. Only damp and cold failure was on his mind right now, and not even the wordplay got his spirits to rise by a iota. The monster plopped on his butt, and looked down at the ground with all the pity a sad clown could muster.

And that was Luan's cue.

Without a peep, Luan passed her cringing and gagging sisters and brother, hit the ACT button, and chose her own option in the menu : her name, written in, what else ? _**comic sans.**_ "Hey buddy, wake up. The curtain hasn't dropped yet."

Luan's call proved effective, as Snowdrake blinked himself awake, and looked up at the human now standing next to him. Was she talking to him ? He was honestly confused, and even more so when she brightly grinned at him.

"Yes silly, I am talking to you. Now get up, because nobody likes people _sitting_ on the job !" the comedienne jovially slapped her knee, then held out this same hand to the monster, who hesitated, but, seeing no harm in the action, took it. "Alright, you're now one step closer to the success of _stand-up_ ! Hahaha, get it ?"

Snowdrake let out a small chuckle, but gloom quickly returned to his features. "Yeah, I get that you have ten times the puns I could ever think of, and you dish out on the fly like that." brooded the broken comedian.

"Oh c'mon, Drake ol' chum, I'm not the one who's supposed to be the best at this _fly_ part, you know ?" said Luan while showing him his wing. Snowdrake's mood didn't improve this time, making the blue-hearted human realise she had to go back to business. "Alright then, Drake- Can I call you Drake ? No ? Yes ? Let's say that's a yes. Anyway, let's talk comic to comic. This is your first gig, am I right ?"

"Uh, yeah ? I-Is it that noticeable ?" asked Snowdrake with a wary tone.

Luan put a hand on Snowdrake's shoulder, and sighed. Here came the hardest part of her job. "Drake, I'm not gonna sugar-coat it, because I like you. **Everything** you just did was off. The setting, the pacing, the delivery, we gotta cover all the basics again. The only good thing, I'd say, are your puns, I can feel the thinking you put into those. But you could have the best joke in the world, if you choke on it, it's over, you've killed the fun, and going straight to akward jail, without touching those 20,000$."

Snowdrake had no idea what a _dough-lard_ was, but he had gotten the overall message. "Man, it's true then. I really suck at comedy." muttered Snowdrake, dejectedly kicking a small patch of snow. "Should've stayed home and work at MTT-Burger, like that cat guy..."

"Woah there, no need to sell yourself short ! Or anyone else for that matter, because that's pretty _cheap_ , hehe. Sorry, couldn't resist." Luan quickly apologised. "Drake, this is your first time ! It's more than okay to mess up on your first try, it's even recommended. Trust in auntie Luan, ine was such a bust, I almost gave up on comedy as a whole. For two weeks, I lashed out at everyone letting out even a tiny snicker."

Snowdrake winced sympathically. "That bad ?"

"Worst. And yet, I still hold on that memory. Not the going wild part of course, I'm still trying to forget that." Luan shuddered at those dark visions from the past. That poor, _poor_ clown. Never would his jolly red nose squeak to fill the kids' hearts with merriness again. "But it's from that failed performance, those bored frowns hammered on the audience's faces that day, that I've built my will to spread joy and smiles through the power of laughter. Each time, I look back to see how far I've come, and how far I can still go to bring happiness to the people around me ! And look at me now !"

Luan brought her mitten inside on of her coat's inside pockets, fished out a calling card, and handed it to the monster. Snowdrake observed the quirky drawing of Luan sitting at a desk as if she was a businesswoman, while sporting her signature Groucho Glasses and a booby-trapped pen spraying ink by the wrong end. Behind her, in bright letters, surrounded by detonating confetti popers and balloons, stood her company name. "Funny Business Inc." read the Giant Bird, pursuing his lecture by flipping the card over. "Birthday animations, 3 to 15 year-old. ' _Your fun is our business_ '. Wait, you've got your _own_ birthday planning company ?"

"Second best in all of Michigan, I might add." smirked Luan, trying not to gloat too much. "It makes my week-ends and holidays a bit tiring, but you can expect that from my trusty monocycle, hehe. Not only that, I have my own website as well, with all the videos I post on EyeTube. A week ago, I finally pushed open the gates of 100,000 subscribers !"

The lower part of Snowdrake's beak dropped. **Hard.** "A-A-A... a hundred thousands ?" Not only did that call his thought on the total number of humans that lived on the surface into question, but it also made him realise that this was no mere comedian that was offering him advice. He was in the presence of a celebrity ! A star desecending from the firmament of fun ! The _funmament_ if you would !

And one that was waving her hand inches away from his face. "Yoo-hoo, anyone home ? Don't tell me the weather's got you stuck in there ?" called Luan with a good-natured grin.

A chill ran down Snowdrake's spine, but it was no longer a starstruck one. No, his entire being was reacting to the true call hidden in the human's awaking words. The call that any self-respected comedian would, and should take.

"Well, you are in _Snowdin_." Snowdrake blurted out. There was a moment of tense silence, as Luan stopped grinning, and gained a far-away gaze. Snowdrake immediately assumed the worst, and looked to the side to avoid seeing the appearance of that same look of sickness over his atrocious brand of humour. A shameful screw-up to the very end, it seemed-

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA !"

Laughter ? Why was someone laughing ? Could it be that...

Snowdrake mustered all his courage, and turned back to Luan. He was greeted by the sight of the buck-toothed human holding her ribs and laughing to her heart's content, demonstrated by her blue SOUL shaking with hilarity. Snowdrake gaped at her, confused. Had he done that ? Had he finally made someone laugh ? The mere possibility made a ray of hope pierce through the dark clouds of his brooding.

Luan laughed for a few more seconds, before finally getting a hold of herself. "Wow, I usually smell those joke opportunities from a mile, but I didn't even notice that one ! It was practically gift-wrapped to me, but you've _ribboned_ it away from me. Don't worry though, I'm _knot_ a _present_ ful kind of person. But I can tell, you've certainly got a _gift_ , kiddo."

The string of puns did the trick, and it was Snowdrake's turn to laugh merrily. He was quickly joined by the young jester, and both of them simply laughed. They let laughter overtake their minds, their SOULs, and all their problems. For now, they just wanted to laugh.

The siblings, despite their shared little breakdown, had followed the entire exchange between the two pun lovers with open ears. At first, they were confused by their sister's action, then got annoyed by the flurry of puns that she unleashed, although those were ones they could actually stomach. But in the end, it was both warmth and guilt that wormed their way into their colourful little hearts. Warmth at seeing their sister bond over the thing she adored the most, and that despite always groaning at her acts, they truly respected from her. Guilt at the hopelessness they'd seen on the monster's face, who wanted nothing more than to give them a good time, ignoring the attacks he had thrown their way.

"Am I the only one who thinks we messed up a bit here ?" said Lincoln, his cheeks and SOUL glowing an embarrassed red. He was after all one who had endured mockeries criticism in the past, and it seemed he had forgotten that not everyone possessed a skin as thick as he did. As for the only other person who knew the results of that little sleuthing adventure, her pale cheeks were gleaming an even more ashamed crimson.

"Brah, we earn this dude another shot." Luna earnestly proposed. There was nothing remotely cool about shooting down someone's first time in the spotlight. The teen could only imagine Mick Swagger looking down on her with great disappointment.

"We most certainly do." agreed Lori, already on her way towards the pair of cackling comedians, who slowed down upon witnessing her approach. "Hey. First off, we'd like to apologise about how we treated you just then. Our reactions were litteraly uncalled for." Lori bowed her head apologetically. "So, on a second point, and to get a fresh start, how about we do this again ?"

"You mean... you _want_ to hear my jokes ?" crowed Snowdrake with growing excitement, that only got more intense when Lori nodded and the siblings began to cheer encouragements.

"Sno'ake ! Sno'ake !" Lily began the supportive chant.

"Heck yeah, Lil'ster !" praised Lynn, gleefully following in the chant. Her participation quickly rallied the others to it, and ten voices were now loudly echoing through the snowed woods. " **Snowdrake ! Snowdrake ! Snowdrake !** "

The monster quivered, facing those expectant humans. But it was not out of fear or worry anymore. At least not entirely; anxiety was still part of it, but was mere rubble compared to the thrill that was rushing through his veins and feathers. The bird monster almost took a step back, but was stopped by the encouraging hand of her _pun_ tor, whose wise nod spoke a thousand words, and somehow cramming in a hundred different jokes. She was known to always think _ahead_.

Snowdrake, who had begun to think about his A-game material, was struck with enlightenment. And just like that, an old joke came to him, one he had heard from the one who had always believed in him, ever since he was but a cute little Snowy chick. Joke engraved in his mind, Snowdrake spoke without missing a beat.

"Okay, this one's a family inheritance. In the coldest region of Snowdin, a little Snowkid approaches his Snowmom, and says, "Mommy, I think I'm adopted." Naturally, the Snowmom is shocked by her son's statement. "But son, why do you say that ?" responds Snowmom. "You're a snowman, me and your father are snowmen, your grand-parents are snowmen, your aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone from your family is a snowman ! Therefore, you are not adopted." But the kid persists, "I still think I'm adopted." "But _why_ ?!" presses on Snowmom with increasing frustration, to which her son meekly replies. " _Because I'm **so cold.**_ **"**

(* _Rimshot_ *)

 _Yep, he's back. Took a lot of negociations, but he promised to keep doing his job, as long as he gets to appreciate an hourly Taco Break. I said fair enough, as long as he shares._

But back to the story, our heroes handed down their verdict.

And a success it was ! While Luan laughed out loud at what she considered to be a classic, the others all chuckled at their own natural volumes, with Leni and the twins laughing the hardest, and Lisa and Lucy snorting in rare amusement. They even threw in a small applause, and a couple of cheers from both rocker and athlete.

And while it was not a standing ovation, it certainly roused up one inside Snowdrake's SOUL, who mirrored it through his face seething in pure ecstatic joy. "HAHAHA, I knew it ! Suck on that, Dad ! I **CAN** make people laugh !" he boasted, loud and clear for everyone on a mile radius to hear with the help of the echo. The siblings chuckled some more at seeing the monster flap his wings in unbridled happiness.

But at this moment, none of the humans was prouder than Luan herself. "Sorry Mom. Looks like I didn't understand what you really meant about the emotion of seeing your little _birds_ finally leaving the nest. But now, I certainly get it." she said while banishing a stray tear. It was one thing to deliver those knock-knock jokes and place those buckets of water on top of doors. But to pass down this knowledge to a newcomer was truly something else. It held its spot on the awesometer, right next to the unforgettable time she'd first heard an earnest laugh come from a professional brooder with a big heart, and the loveliest shade of dark grey one's hair could provide.

Luan's daydream was interrupted when she felt two wings grasp her hands, and began to heartfully shake them. "Thank you, human Luan ! You've showed me the light, and I just might _blindly_ follow it !" Snowdrake cracked, then gained a softer tone. "But really, thanks. I-I've been through some issues, and you were just what I needed. I swear your teachings won't go to waste. This guy is not gonna stop before the entire Underground knows and laughs through my jokes."

"Hahaha, I'll look forward to that !" chuckled Luan. "And who knows ? One day, we could meet up on the Surface, two ultra-famous comedians, and go on a human-monster duo tour through the country ! We'll widen our path in Broadway, bring novelty to New York, and make it on top at Los Angeles. Bringing jokes everywhere, and leaving happy smiles in our way. Because that's what comedy's all about. _A good time_. As long as you remember that, Drake ol' pal, your jokes will have the same things my sis Luna's christmas songs hold : A great flow, a sucessful delivery, and a jolly smile on everyone's faces, including yours."

"Aww, Lulu..." Luna almost teared up at the compliment. The others awwed as well, glad that such a sour string of events and jokes had ended on such a sweet note.

* _"It smells like a wet pillow... and success._ "

"That guy's always there to put in his two _scents_ , ain't he ?" was Luan's last pun, once again meeting a mixed reception from her family and a guffawing one from her new friend, before Lincoln could finally press the salvaging _Spare_ option.

* _YOU WON ! You've gained 0 EXP and 12 Gold._

 **Fight over.**

As the eleven colourful SOULs once again took their rightful places, Snowdrake shook hands with his newly appointed mentor one more time, before spreading his short wings, and took off in the air. "Bye humans ! When we'll meet again, you'll have VIM seats (Very Important Monster) for my show, on my word !"

"We'll hold you on that one !" shouted the primpiest of the twins, as she was not one to part with such an interesting offer, that involved comfy seats and all the apple juice a princess could gorge herself with.

"Sorry for bumping into you !" apologised Leni with a wave. "I know a guy in Royal Woods who'll smooth your feathers even cozier than before !"

"And remember, as long as you have fun and keep your heart into the game, you'll always have an audience, and the time of your life will need no calendar to be remembered !" added Luan encouragingly.

"Do I look like a birdbrain to you ?!" yelled the monster back, earning a rowdy laugh from the comedian, before disappearing in the distance, most likely to rave about his success to his friends like any teen would.

"Welp, that was litteraly something. Not the worst fight we've been into this far." Lori sighed in relief, as she bent down to collect the little coins on the cold ground. "Wow, twelve coins for a single monster ? If this keeps up, we'll have enough to finally build that swimming pool in our backyard, and then some for our weight in chocolate !"

"Aww, but why our weight ?" surprisingly complained Leni. "If my weight is what I think it is, I won't have a lot. And if it's not, I'll freak out like never before ! For my Papyrus, I must be perfect and thin as a fiddle !"

"It's fit as a fiddle, Leni." corrected Lisa with an eye roll. "But I'll give you this, your faulted analogy had the adequate theme, thus preserving the comprehension of your thought."

"Lisa, my throat is still dry from the first puns this guy unleashed on us. I do NOT need a headache as a bonus." grumbled Lana a bit tiredly, aggravating her as she knew this was only the first of many confrontations with funny, but still aggressive monsters. Her brother noticed that, and began patting the top of her head, making the little tomboy sit on all fours, and contently whine out of instinct.

"Well, we're in a new area. In games, the level of difficulty always increases as you progress through the levels, but so does the rewards you get from winning them. I mean, when the little green goblins, who could barely get a hit straight, make way for humongous lava golems who can destroy you with a single flick, your wooden spoon and crumbling coat of mails just might not be enough anymore, am I right ?" said Lincoln with his nerdish analogy, a smile on his face as he enjoyed this calm after the storm. This time, Luan was the one who had saved the day. In a way that was proper to her goofy attitude, but a fine job nontheless. He could see his sisters acknowledging that by offering Luan their own set of compliments, and the comedienne drank it up with gusto.

' _If we all stay on track, nothing's impossible._ ' happily thought the boy, giving a little wink at the camera.

 _But perhaps not at the one he was thinking about..._

"Alright guys, time to move out !" Lori clapped her hands, with Lily pointing ahead with an endearing "Poo-poo !".

The Loud group obliged in an unanimous action, solely leaving behind an empty brown chest, and the faint sound of laughter still reverberating amongst the pine trees. Save for a couple of them, that had lost all their needles out of traumatisingly bad puns.

 _Remember kids. Keep your jokes green, and meme with caution. Unless you've made shortcuts through reality. Then you can turn them **blue** as much as you want._

* * *

Taking the time to relax from their fight, the siblings came to a straight path, once again flanked at both sides by rows of nearly identical pine trees. But while the snowy road held nothing special, it wasn't quite the case for a familiar duo standing in the middle of it.

"FLAMES TRAILED AROUND THE ROOF LIKE HUNGRY SNAKES, AND A FOUL STENCH EMANATED FROM IT, THE STENCH OF DEATH ITSELF !" counted Papyrus with a dramatic shaking hand. Somehow, a just-as-melodramatic was playing in the background, then stopped when Papyrus' grin came back. "AND THAT IS WHY I AM PROHIBITED FROM MAKING LASAGNA FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS."

"sounds fair." shrugged Sans, nonchalant as ever.

"BUT ANYWHO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT **UNDYNE** , YERSTEDAY SHE- NYEH ?"

Papyrus' speech abruptly ended when a certain something caught his nonexistent eye. Or rather, eleven certain somethings. He gasped, and immediately turned to his brother. But as he did, the shorter skeleton turned to look at the humans, giving them a friendly wink. Papyrus imitated his rotating action, and almost like clockwork, Sans turned to look at him again.

The duo repeated this string of actions, always looking back and forth, and missing eachother every time. The more they did, the faster they got, to the point where they instead spun full circle, forming two mini twisters. A short moment passed, and the two stopped, facing the already amused humans, their bodies jiggling like rubber sticks. They both turned around, and Papyrus bent down to whisper in Sans' earhole. Well, Papyrus-whisper anyway.

"OH MY GOSH, SANS ! AM I SEEING THINGS ?! ARE THOSE... HUMANS ?!" the taller skeleton almost squealed.

The brothers turned around, and looked ahead to spot their young and fleshy targets. Or so the Louds thought, but they quickly noticed that Sans' pupils were shifted a bit to the left.

"uh, sorry bro, but those are just a bunch of rocks." assessed Sans with a cheeky grin.

Confused, the Louds looked to their left, and indeed found a group of eleven rocks, all of conveniently different sizes. Perhaps too convenient. Heck, some those rocks even had small details that linked them to the Louds, such as the fifth smallest being darker in colour, and the second smallest having two little shiny spots on its 'head'.

"Were those always there ?" Lynn discreetly asked. She only got unsure shrugs from her brother and sisters.

"OH." sighed Papyrus with clear disappointment.

But Sans was quick to lift his spirits. "but hey, what's that standing _next_ to the rocks ?"

Papyrus took another look, and produced a second gasp. "OH MY GOSH !" He then stooped to his brother's level again. "SANS, THOSE ARE HUMANS THIS TIME, RIGHT ?"

"yep." Sans whispered back.

" _OH MY GOSH !_ " raucously yelled Papyrus. "AT LAST, I'VE FOUND A HUMAN ! LOOK AT THEM SANS, IN THE FLESH THEY STAND ! I HAD NO IDEA THEY CAME IN ALL THOSE SHAPES AND SIZES. ONE OF THEM IS EVEN LACKING EYES !"

"No, I do have eyes. My hair acts as a curtain, but they're here. They see. They watch. They know." recited the spooky eight year-old, her usual spookiness making her siblings shudder. Papyrus' mood on the other hand, lit up even further.

"THEY CAN EVEN READ MINDS ! HUMANS TRULY ARE FASCINATING ! AND NOT JUST THAT ONE, LOOK HOW MANY THERE ARE ! SO... SO VERY MANY OF THEM. NYEH..."

Sans arched an eyebrow at the uneasy sweat forming on his bro's forehead. "bro, everything alright ?"

"UM, WELL, THAT IS TO SAY..." said Papyrus, twiddling his thumbs.

"bro... don't tell me you're getting cold feet ?" teased the grinning bonehead.

"WHAT ?! THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOES **NOT** GET COLD FEET ! MY COZY AND FEARLESS BOOTS SHOULD TELL YOU THAT !" snorted Papyrus with great indignation. "I-I WAS MERELY SURPRISED, THAT'S ALL ! WHEN I HEARD THAT HUMANS WERE COMING, I HAD NO IDEA THEY WOULD BE SO NUMEROUS ! CAPTURING ONE, EASY AS SPAGHETTI ! TWO OR THREE, A LAUGHABLE TASK ! BUT ELEVEN ? THAT'S QUITE THE DAUNTING CHALLENGE, EVEN FOR ME."

"hmm, you got a point there." nodded the jokester, then raised a bony finger. "but you know, that could play in your favour."

"OH ?"

"think about it. if you capture one human, your place in the royal guard's assured. but what if you were to capture _eleven_ of them ? quantity _and_ quality, meaning a heck of a better reward. just imagine."

And imagine the lanky skeleton monster did, colourful images passing through his skull. And the more he did, the bigger his toothy smile got, along with a slow but elated intake of air. "GREAT SAFFRON, SANS ! IF I SUCCEED, I WON'T JUST BE NAMED A GUARD. I'LL BE A CORPORAL ! NO, A CAPTAIN ! NO, A _GENERAL_ ! NO, I'LL BE... _**GENERALISSIMO PAPYRUS !**_ " gushed the monster, imagining himself wearing a fierce-looking golden armour, the dozens of medals on it resplendishing as much as his proud smile. He of course didn't leave out his 'official' sunglasses, and his awesome great helm, bearing the great name that was his. "CAN YOU SEE IT, SANS ? I'LL BE SO POPULAR, EVERY MONSTER IN THE UNDERGROUND WILL WANT TO BE MY FRIEND ! I'LL BE EVEN GREATER THAN I ALREADY AM !"

"so, the _greatest_ papyrus, eh ?" chuckled Sans good-naturedly. It was just nice to see his bro smiling in a way he hadn't seen for some time now.

Papyrus' bony cheeks parted, as his already huge smile somehow grew even shinier. A muffled squeal of pure delight emanated through his teeth, his clenched fists shook with elation near his face, and he began hopping on the spot like a certain teen would when hearing her Boo-boo Bear had a surprise for her. In fact, his joy was such that it went to a point where he just left the floor, levitating a couple of inches or so above the ground, his boots flapping like little wings. The monster couldn't have looked more cartoonishly happy if he had tried, and was a fairly funny sight for the humans, half of them already doubling over.

"I really don't get what Goat Mom was on about. This isn't really one of the 'Unmerciful, bloodthirsty beast' I was expecting. The guy's just a big kid on a constant sugar rush !" sniggered Lynn.

"Yeah, he's even dorkier than Lincoln !" guffawed Lola. Surprisingly, Lincoln didn't take an ounce of offense from that.

"Funny c'own, hehehe !" giggled Lily.

"I think at this point, every monster is a little off their hinges, save maybe Tori." concurred Luna with a smile of her own. "But hey, as long as it's just a bit of wonkiness, and not _'Murder and stalking children is fun, golly !_ ' _,_ then no prob bob, I dig it. And it looks like I ain't the only one..."

"He can fly like an angel. Aaah..." swooned Leni with her lovestruck grin, dramatically falling backwards, and caught by Lori, slightly amused to see that what she'd always believed only happened in sitcoms was happening right in front of her. If her phone battery wasn't so important, she would already be recording all of this.

The mirthful laughter pronounced by the humans reached Papyrus through his daydream of pure awesomeness. Upon remembering that he still had an audience to impress- nay, to _bedazzle_ , his feet regained the ground, he engaged into some throat-clearing – that he probably had – and pointed a dramatic finger in the Louds' direction.

" _HEAR MY WORDS, HUMANS !_ " he loudly began his speech."YOU MAY HAVE VENTURED FAR, BUT YOUR QUEST ENDS HERE IN SNOWDIN ! PREPARE YOURSELF FOR PUZZLES, ENIGMAS, AND OTHER JAPPERS THAT WILL LEAVE YOU STUNNED, AND YOUR MINDS IN SHAMBLES ! THEN I, _THE_ _GREAT PAPYRUS_ , WILL SWOOP IN AND CAPTURE YOU ! AND THEN, I WILL PERSONALLY DELIVER YOU TO THE CAPITAL ! AND _THEN_ ! AND THEN..." Papyrus scratched the top of his skull, and seeked advice from the smartest person he knew. "SANS, WHAT COMES AFTER THAT AGAIN ?"

"dunno. lunch ?"

"PERHAPS. A GREAT SUGGESTION NONTHELESS ! NYEH HEH HEH !" chortled Papyrus to the ceiling. He then adressed a cocky smile to his future catches. "SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS YET, HUMANS ?"

From behind his bro, Sans winked at the children, who caught it, and immediately put on their own challenging grins. "Bring it on ! I've never turned down a challenge, and it ain't gonna start today !" boasted Lynn with a little one-two.

"I certainly hope that your mazes and riddles will be of optimal level. I have been yearning for a challenge since I've got here, but never came across anything extraordinary." lisped Lisa rather pridefully. "So as a strange popular saying linked to quirky images splattered across the depths of the Internet would put it : Show me your moves !"

"You better have game, 'cause we're ready to make your jaw drop !" jested Luan. "Get it ?"

"Don't go easy on us just because we're kids, buddy ! Monsters didn't stop the Louds before, and you won't be an exception !" bellowed Lana as she hit her chest like a gorilla.

"The only lunch we'll be having is the one of your surrender ! We don't take anything less than victory !" Lola took a pose as she brought her best bragging, without getting into trash talk. She had after all, made grown men cry because of it, and she really didn't wanna know what Sans would do if she was to make Papyrus weep.

"Well ? Are we gonna play, or is making wind all you've got ?" smuggly jabbed Lincoln, prompting his sisters to " _Ooooh !"_ in support. But far from deterring him, Papyrus took all those challenging words to heart, fuelling his excitement.

"OHO, WHAT FEISTY SPIRITS YOU HAVE, HUMANS ! I LIKE THAT ! I PREDICT A LOT OF ACTION AND FUN IN OUR FUTURES." said Papyrus, bringing his scarf before his face like a cape, only letting his eyes and wriggling eyebrows peer over it. " NOW COME ! ONLY IF YOU DARE..." he tauntily wriggled his gloved fingers. And with a boisterous "NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH !", the monster eagerly zoomed ahead.

Sans watched his brother quickly vanish in the distance, then turned back to the humans. "welp, i'd say this went pretty good. thanks for playing along."

"Who's playing along ? I'm really pumped to see what your bro's got for us !" said Lynn, a broad grin on her face.

"And you're absolutely _sure_ he's not dangerous ?" asked ever-cautious Lori, once again tasked with bringing her scatterbrained roommate back to reality. "He seems nice, and I'm sure he is, but he does still want to capture us."

"don't worry, boss. If there's one monster you'll ever be safe with, it's paps." chuckled Sans.

Lori groaned internally. ' _He's already found us nicknames. Wonderful._ '

"besides, i'll always be near, always keeping an eyesocket out for you kiddos." continued Sans. "there, feeling better ?" The flat look on most Louds' faces said it all, but had no effect on Sans' laidback grin whatsoever. "welp, see ya soon."

With that, Sans walked away, this time in the right direction. After reviving Leni's brain, the Louds followed the same trail, and arrived in front of what looked like the little wooden station they'd seen next to those contiently placed hiding spots. But the resemblance was by a huge stretch, as the structure was entirely made of cardboard, pieced together by glue that was spreaded well over the gaps, and even then, it looked like a mere breeze would be enough to make the whole thing topple over.

"Yeesh ! I think nothing screams more Amateur, than this." cringed Lana, sticking her tongue out. The little handygirl felt her stomach churn just by looking at the very poor craftmanship.

"It's frail and fake-looking. Like life itself..." recited Lucy, before catching herself. "Sorry, this dark forest and icy weather are inspiring me more than I first thought."

"Gosh, you're totes right Lana. Whoever did this could use some major crafting tips." approved Leni as the expert crafter that she was. "I mean, who uses cardboard and glue ?"

"Papyrus, apparently." stated Luna, kneeling near the bumbling station as she read the sign imprinted on it. "Yep, it's got his signature all over it.

"Then it's the best thing made in the history of ever..." drooled Leni, her heart-shaped pupils now only seeing, in the clunky structure, a magnificient station made in the purest Butternut wood, where everyday sat the Great Papyrus himself, eyes whimsically staring at the sky, his scarf floating in the breeze, and his heroic aura giving those shady woods a new shine.

"Oh brother..." groaned Lynn, as she rolled up her sleeves and approached her gawking-at-air sis for some much needed body and brain rattling.

"What does it say ?" asked Lincoln curiously.

"The writing's a bit weird, so here's about the bulk of it." Luna cleared her throat, and read out loud. Caption marks on LOUD. "YOU OBSERVE THIS VERY WELL-CRAFTED STATION, AND CAN'T HELP BUT PONDER WISTFULLY. 'WHO COULD HAVE EVER BUILT SUCH A GREAT-LOOKING STATION ? IT MUST'VE BEEN THAT INCREDIBLY POPULAR GUARDSMAN !' (NOTE : NOT YET AN INCREDIBLY POPULAR GUARDSMAN !) PHOTO COST : 0 GOLD. GREATNESS IS PRICELESS. - _THE GREAT PAPYRUS, (ALMOST) ROYAL GUARDSMAN, 20-SOMETHING._ "

"Why are you reading this in his voice ?" questionned Lori, a bit weirded out at Luna using such a high-pitched tone out of the blue.

"Because it's litteraly how he wrote it, dude !" answered Luna with a small chuckle.

Lisa approached the signto give it her own expertise, and gasped at the results. "He wrote in a fashion where you can't help but read it in his voice. It's... baffling, yet expression 'Words leaping out of the page' have never been more real here ! Whatever ink or calligraphy he's using, I must find out. _For science !_ " the little scientist unleashed her war cry, that made Leni snap back to reality.

"Well, it's all a matter of _inking_ right, and you're the smartest _squid_ I know !" cracked Luan, taking a side-glance at the camera. "Just because we're in a winter land, doesn't mean all my jokes have to be ice-related. Gotta keep the content _fresh,_ hehe."

The siblings sighed in dismay, but couldn't fight a small chuckle at the end. "We're in for a lot more of those, aren't we ?" Lynn rubbed her forehead with a grin.

"It wouldn't surpise me in the least that whatever force made monsters loved puns _very much_." mused Luna. "But when you live with Luan, ask yourself this. Is it really gonna make a difference ?"

"Nope." said the sibs in unison, even Lily, prompting them to laugh some more.

"I guess it'll just be another trial this place throws at us." Lori shook her head. "Let's go see what else that place has in store for us, shall we ?"

All approved, and quickly resumed their advance with light hearts. Already the monsters seemed promising, fueling both their determination and curiosity. As they marched, they kept wondering just who and what else they would find in this strange world. How long would it be till they reached the exit ?

 _How long would it be until ASGORE found them ?_

* * *

 **Author's Note : Have I stressed the name ASGORE enough ? No ?**

 _ **ASGORE.**_

 **Welp, there you have it folks, the first Snowdin Chapter. What do you think about the Skelebros ? Was it worth the wait ? Am I butchering their characters ? And most importantly, what would _you_ like to see them doing ? Write on, my lovelies ! Just, keep it G-Rated.**

 **But anyway, this chapter took some hard work, and I can only guess the rest of the Arc will be like that. Coming out with those puns is way harder than it seems, and I don't wanna just rip off what the game already offers. I strive for originality, darn it ! Even though the events of the story are pretty much identical to the core story of Undertale. Like, 90% exact.**

 **Sans : and i thought i was the lazybones here.**

 **Sans, for the last time, get out of my closet !**

 **Sans : aw c'mon, double-seven. don't wanna buy a dog ?**

 **...Maybe.**

 **Anyway, this is once again Superdimentio77, giving you warm greetings from this brand new chapter, and hope it'll inspire you just as much as it did to me. Cheerios !**

 **Sans (winking) : what they said.**


	11. Snowdin, Part 2

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 2 : Snowdin**

 **Part 2 : To bark or not to bark ? A puzzling question...**

 **Author's Note : _(Take the next part with a grain of salt)_**

 *** _At the center of a blue and white village, an angry mob of villagers with weird names has assembled around a stake, with pitchforks, torches, burning pitchforks, pointy torches, and the usual 'Marry me, Sans-Senpaï' sign poking out. Near the stake, a hooded figure raises a really big torch*_**

 **[ _Rightfully ticked-off fan_ ]: Comrades, my friends ! We are gathered here today to bring shame to an author who brought thirst to our mouths for too long !**

 *** _Tied up on the stake, a blue-white-red jester hastily types. With his teeth._ ***

 **[ _Superdimentio77, in-mind_ ] : ( _C'mon teeth, faster dang it ! Did those 3AM writing sessions teach you nothing ?!_ )**

 **[ _Rightfully ticked-off fan_ ] : Through the months, he would always give us a part of the story we know and love, to quench our thirst for cute siblings and quirky monsters. When the time came this September, we found no such thing at our doorstep. But we accepted it. We all know the effects of the dangerous Writer's Block plague that swooped over the best of stories. **

*** _He clasped his hands prayer-like for an instant_ * May we one day know the end of the Requiem... * _Back to business_ * So we waited, hoping that the next month would provide us what our hearts so rightfully desired. But alas... it's been two months... and the reason for that ? Not Writer's Block, but the dastardliest crime of all... _LATENESS !_**

 *** _The Mob explodes in hisses and booing*_ "Unacceptable !" "Y U NO UPD8 FASTAH ?!" "Give the story to Weavillain !" "WHERE ARE MY HUSBONEDOS ?!" "Is this the Raffle line ?"**

 **[ _Rightfully ticked-off fan_ ] : Yes, yes, I understand your anger. That is why today, our minds shall be satisfied with rightful revenge ! * _The crowd cheers, and the torch approaches the stack of highly-inflamable MTT Plushies underneath the stake_ * May the spirits of the Followers be satisfied at last. MAY THEY BE-**

 **[SD77] : _DJOME !_**

 ** _*Complete silence_ ***

 **[ _Rightfully ticked-off fan_ ] : What ?**

 **[ _SD77, spitting out his computer_ ] : I said, I'm done ! The chapter's finally ready !**

 *** _The crowd erupts in wild cheers, and the hooded figure falls on his knees*_**

 **[ _Rightfully ticked-off fan_ ]: The prayers were answered ! May the Mighty Xing Li be praised ! * _Turns to the dapper jester_ * Wherever can we find the story, O jester ?**

 **[ _SD77_ ] : It's printing, just a sec... There you go !**

 **[ _Rightfully ticked-off fan, picks up a couple of pages_ ] : Is... Is that it ?**

 **[ _SD77_ ] : Oh no, that's just the Author's Note. The rest should be coming in about... right now.**

 *** _A rumbling noise is heard, and behind the stake, a white tsunami arises. Pages upon pages about to flow the place, and all the fanfictioners can do is scream in very high-pitched screams for the papercuts to come._ ***

 **[ _SD77, with a tiny umbrella above his head_ ] : Hope you're all really thirsty.**

 **HELLO EVERYBODY ! And welcome back for this new chapter of LOUDERTALE. Yes, you are not dreaming ! Or if you are, don't wake up just yet !**

 **So, it's been a while. Like, longer than the other times. And you've been kind enough to remind me that. About every day. Heck, some of you even believed I was dead !**

 **Nope, just in school and with a job. So, just a little dead on the inside.**

 **But seriously, I could go with excuses like studies consuming my time, which has a shade of truth to it, but I've also been doing a little less than usual. Still, I tried to keep a routine when it came to writing : One page every day. Sometimes I'd do more, and other times, when time consumed me, I'd do less. But more than that, I also kept my usual tendency to really stretch out encounters and dialogues to give everybody their moment in the limelight.**

 **How bad, you say ? Well, let's just say I roughly transformed about 10 minutes of Rapid Gameplay, 20 minutes if you want to get lengthy, into a 111-page thesis. And we're far to be done with Snowdin, you'll see.**

 **So yeah, this is my biggest chapter ever, almost twice the size of my other Loud House fic. But you know what, I'm still proud of it. I will try to be a teensy bit less complex with my writing, so it can come out a little bit faster... yeah, like that'll ever happen ! But still, I hope you'll bear with me.**

 **Also, we've gone over 80 Faves and Followers, and over two hundred Reviews ! I read them all, and I love you guys for your support ! Though, for the last time, I'm not doing any AU's. Again, if you want them to happen, simply do what I wanted when I saw the cruel emptiness of LH/UT crossovers : try it yourself !**

 **See ? Even my Author's Notes are too long ! Let's just get to the meat of it already !**

 **Undertale is owned by Toby Fox, and the Loud House is owned by Nickelodeon.**

* * *

The snowy straight path led the Louds to another station, this one made out of wood like the first they'd seen. Only this one was a tad different, having a back wall instead of being opened, its roof being a little more curved, and right in front of that roof... a small smiley dog face was carved into the wood. Said face oddly ressembled the one of a little impish dog the Louds had seen multiple times in the Ruins, who'd sometimes dash by to steal a piece of Toriel's prized pie. The kids would give chase to him, but he'd somehow disappear at the turn of the corner, without any paw prints to indicate how he had even pulled such a feat.

The station was a mere couple of steps away from the kids, but they were first intrigued by the small wooden on their left. " **NO MOVEMENT ALLOWED !** " read Lincoln, surprised by how bold the cyan-coloured letters were.

"Geez, someone's got it really bad against moving." huffed Lynn, almost taking it as an insult.

"Even for this place, that order does not make a lick of a sense." lisped Lisa with a deadpan tone. "You are clearly forced to go through some form of motion to get here, and are forced to do some more to move out of here. Unless this inscribed rectangular piece of wood suggests that whomever reads it must stand here, unmoving until hypothermia takes its lethal toll."

"Neat." said Lucy, tugging on her dark grey hooded cape. "But it does sounds odd for the monsters we've seen thus far. Way too grim to be their style."

Lincoln kept his gaze on the sign, scratching his chin thoughtfully. A motion that didn't go unnoticed. "Found something, Lincs ?" asked Lana, snapping her brother out of his little trance.

"Um, kinda. I'm just thinking about the colour of those words. Every time we saw a sign, whoever wrote on them did it in black, even the one near the Box from earlier. Why would they suddenly change it ?"

"Maybe it's a rare sign. One that only appears once a _blue_ moon !" cracked Luan.

"The moon doesn't reach out down here. Your joke is invalid." retorted Lola with a smirk.

"Humour knows no bounds." harumphed Luan with a pout.

"Hmm, seems more of a clue to me." suggested Lori with a keen eye. The eldest Loud couldn't help but notice the similiarity with this sign, and the SOUL colour both she and Lily shared...

"Puzzles in games have that kind of shift sometimes, throwing in new types of clues. Helps the gameplay feel more smooth." analysed Lincoln, making Lynn bite her cheeks to contain the "NEEEEEERD !" coming up her throat. Lincoln felt the need to add, "But the thing is, the Ruins puzzles had the clues being right next to the puzzles. So the question is : where _is_ the puzzle ?"

The siblings took a moment to figure this mystery out... before waving it off, as they either considered it another strange mechanic this world was throwing at them, a waste of time keeping them from discovering the rest of the Underground, plus the exit, or a roadblock slowing their next encounter with the handsomest skeleton of the entire Galaxy ! Well, one did at least...

"I say we put a pin on it, put it in the back of our minds, and keep moving, dudes. The day ain't getting any younger, and a roof above our heads for the night would be kinda neat." Luna pointed to the rocky sky, which had been decreasing in natural light peeking through it ever so slightly.

"Agreed ! I for one will not sleep on the ground !" snootily chimed in Lola. She had not left Toriel's comfy child bed so the _coldest_ hard ground could become her mattress, seeing as, compared to their hiking up Mt. Ebott, or their annual visits to Scratchy Bottom Campgrounds, there was no sleeping bag shielding her from the hard filthy soil, or rampant bugs crawling all over her. And those Migosps had certainly taught her how big insects could be down here !

But it was only when Lily produced a small yawn that all the siblings realised the urgency of finding a proper place to sleep. Having a sleep-deprived, cranky Lily would not make their adventure any easier. It never made _anything_ easier. Understanding this new problem, the kids finally strutted past the sign. As they approached the small guard station, they noticed the lack of any guard behind the counter, meaning that the sentry who was supposed to be sitting there was probably enjoying a break off their empty human-spotting day.

"Geez, that must be one sad job, when you know humans come here every twenty years or so." Lana frowned, feeling a bit of pity for those poor sentries. "I mean, can you even imagine ? Standing behind a counter, wasting hours waiting for someone to pass, and knowing you'll have to do it tomorrow and the day after that ? I'd go nuts on day two !"

Unpleasant memories of grease and pieces of gum stuck under tables came back to Lori. More precisely, tediously empty and boring night shifts, where the only one that didn't sleep was the Manager, who would slip in the room to check that his employees weren't dozing on the job. There were few things that Lori could complain about as a boss, but if he caught you not being on the go to welcome customers, you were in for some earful.

In the end, Lori answered Lana's question with a layback sigh. "You learn to swallow it up as you grow up. Nothing you need to worry about for about a decade." Lori patted Lana's head, who shrugged, content of the answer.

"Well, that equals one less confrontation for us to be dragged into." noted Lisa. "I see no need to complain of this streak of luck, so let us proceed."

The Louds approved. There was no need for them to wait for him or her to come back, or to do anything that would-

 _Ding-ding !_

None of the kids even got to finish their resuming step, their minds fully fixed on the little bell sound they'd just heard, and was still ringing inside their minds. Nobody made a single sound, or dared to move a muscle. Only three things counted now. What, from where, and why ?

The two first answers quickly came to them, upon remembering the small solo desk bell they had found resting on the hotel counter. But unless this was an automatic bell the monsters had created for Gosh knew what reason, the small metal gizmo could not have done the sound alone. Ever so slowly, ten heads turned around to find the culprit.

And yes, you read it right. **Ten** heads. As it was without any real surprise that the siblings were met with the sight of their sixteen-year-old sis, who was looking back at them with wide eyes, pearls of sweat going down her forehead, and, writing her name on the murder weapon, her gloved finger still hanging inches over the desk bell.

Leni's siblings kept looking at her with stiff but expectant eyes, waiting for an explanation. The blonde delivered, with a bashful blush and her two indexes awkwardly connecting. "I like the sound when I press bells." she shyly murmured.

Right hands met faces, and their lightning-fast encounter echoed around the forest. They all loved their ditzy sis, but there was something as being too ditzy, and she was known to meet those standards at least once a day. The sibs took it calmly however. After all, it's not like it compromised anything, right ?

 _ **WRONG !**_

A scratching sound broke the silence that was ensuing the clapping echo. The kicker ? _That sound was coming from inside the station._ The Louds' hearts stopped for the second time in under a minute, and watched as two small pointy black ears slowly emerged from behind the counter, twitching as if trying to catch a noise. Then, the ears went higher, bringing the rest of the body with them, fully revealing the new monster to the humans.

Lana's eyes gained a gleam when she saw his fur and snout, and she had to fight a small squeal of joy.

Standing up from behind his station and swiftly looking from left to right and right to left, was an antropomorphic dog. If Lisa had to guess, she'd say he looked close to a Pinscher, either German or Doberman, but he did not share the breed's usual colours. From ears to nose, his fur was black, but the rest of it, to the waist at least, was as white as the snow around them. The monster sported a bright pink muscle shirt with a smiling dog face on it, a black belt, and leopart-patterned stretch pants. The combo almost made the fashion-loving trio, in the person of Lori, Leni, and Lola, shiver under the wave of nausea assaulting them. The canine monster kept sniffing the air for a moment, his eyes curiously not focusing on the band of unmoving humans litteraly standing before him. Strange, but the Louds didn't dare to voice their opinions, for they knew his **ears** worked.

"Who's there ?" he spoke in a gruff voice, almost like a low bark. "Big guy, is that you ? Come on, you know I can't see you if you don't move."

"That's a weird thing to have." whispered Lynn, hitching her breath as the monster's ear twitched.

"It actually isn't. This pathology is something that has already been reported. Quite fascinating lesions in the occipital lobe." wisely pointed out Lisa from the corner of her mouth.

"What was that ?" yipped the bipedal canine, zipping the Louds' lips shut. He squinted his shifty eyes. "It better not be that skeleton again. He thinks he's so smart just because he can come and go without moving."

Lincoln arched an eyebrow, and mulled about it while keeping his voice in check. "Skeleton ? Can't be Papyrus, he moves more than Lynn when she first tried Dad's coffee."

"You guys still haven't told me how I got all the way to Winsconsin, and why I was dressed in a duck costume."

"Sans then ?" resumed the brother. "But what does he mean by that ?"

"I think this question can litteraly wait." stressed Lori, not liking how the monster's ears were intensifying their twitching one bit. All she could do was to keep Lily's small hand secured in her own, somehow making her understand that now was the time to play the Statue Game. Only this time, losing was something you wanted to avoid even more.

The monster's confusion only grew by the lack of response. "Was it my imagination ? Did I just imagine that sound ? Or is there someone..." He approached his face closer to Leni's, so close that it was a miracle none of the droplets of nervous sweat cascading down Leni's head managed to touch his black nose. He exhaled a whiff of air, which collided with the human's face, giving her itchy eyes and nose. But Leni fought the urges to blink and sneeze with all she had. The poor girl wasn't even allowed to twitch, so she focused it all in her wildly flailing fists, knowing that the monster wouldn't see or hear them.

Thankfully, a few seconds later, the dog monster finally moved back. "I've been staring at this road for way too long, I need a break. Maybe a dog treat or two will do the trick." he sighed, disappearing behind the counter again.

The Louds exhaled in relieved, inaudible unison. With the coast now clear, Lori signed to her siblings to quietly move out. They moved on the tip of their toes, but had to stop when they heard a whimper, one that carried pain. Following their instincts, the kids turned to see who could be suffering, and noiselessly gasped when they saw Leni on the verge of breaking down. Her hands were twitching like mad, she was taking small but quick intakes of air, and her eyes were tearing up and starting to go red.

In other words, they were seconds away from a disaster. But may their grouchy old neighbour be their witness, they had dealt with worse cases.

Gaining a strong gaze, the blonde leader gave her orders through finger signals. The concerned immediately understood, and were by Leni's side in the blink of an eye. Luna reached out to rub Leni's eyes, Luan put her finger under her sister's nose, leaving Lincoln and Lucy to slowly rub the tension off her arms and hands. As her younger sis worked their magic, Leni's breathing gradually slowed down, until the desire to sneeze finally subsided.

All sighed in sweet relief, and the grip on the platinium blonde was released...

" **AAAA-CHOO !** "

… about a couple of seconds too early.

Leni kept frenzically sneezing, each one feeling like a liberation to the teen. She wasn't holding anything back, giveng every sneeze the power and clamour of a thundering orchestra. When she at last put down her baton, Leni let out a loud sigh of relief, stretching her limbs as though she had just woken up from a great dream. But when she opened her eyes to look at her sisters and brother, great wasn't the word their faces were communicating, as half of them looked at her with heavily displeased expressions, while the other half had their bulging eyes set over her shoulder.

"What ?" Leni asked innocently. She looked back to see what this was all about.

And met with the furred monster's now dead focused eyes.

"Ooooh..." drawled Leni, nervously blushing. Turning back to her big sister's stern expression, she knew she was in for some lecturing later.

"Looks like ol' Doggo ain't losing it yet." said the freshly introduced Doggo, not losing the retreating group's sight for a single second. "You guys are humans, right ? Well, if you are..."

The bipedal dog jumped out of his station with a remarkable salto, landing on his two black paws. He readied himself, and from behind his back, unseathed two short but sharp gladius swords. He expertly waved them around for a moment, successfully intimidating the kids, and ended the performance in an aggressive stance, swords behind his back, and the familiar SOUL call from his eye reflecting against their steel.

" **I'll make sure you never move again.** "

* _"Doggo jumps into action !"_

 **Fight engaged !**

"Looks like we're in for a _Dogfight_. Let's hope it won't be _plane bark_ ing." Luan opened the fight with some puns of her cru. "But joke aside, I'm having a really bad feeling about those swords..."

Her siblings understood what she meant. This was the first time they were confronting a monster with a physical weapon. While it was obvious that it was their SOULs the monster was after, there was no telling how he was going to use his sharp blades. Would it be a magic attack, using a pattern that they would have to dodge like with the other monsters ? Or would the canine go for the kill, and gut them right open ? Even Lucy didn't dare to smile at the morbid thought. Lola though, had a moment of clarity.

"Guys, I don't think we've got much to worry about. If that big guy wanted to slice us, he wouldn't have begun one of those fight sequences, with turns and options." eagerly pointed out the little princess. Acknowledging this detail brought immediate relief to the Loud group.

"Alright, I think it's time I work up my magic. Maybe litteraly." boasted Lincoln, stretching his palms even though what he was about to do was anything but physical. He reached the ACT Button, chose the _Check_ option, and gained red irises once again.

* _"Doggo. ATK 13, DEF 7. Easily excited by movement, since it's the only thing he can see. Favourite hobbies include squirrels and shaky games of poker."_

"He's got that right ! Squirrels are awesome to run after !"Lana spoke through her animal-loving mind. Then, she got a little too into it. "Always taunting me and Charles down from their high branches, thinking they're so smart with their little paws and fluffy tail..."

"Easy girl, easy." calmed Lola, soothingly scratching behind her twin's ear, which effectively cooled her instincts down.

The kids took on their marks, the small feeling of levity signaling them that the enemy was about to take his turn. Looking at him, they guessed that the attack would either be some bones flying from the sides, little knives raining on them, or even Doggo cutting the air to throw in some slashing waves, like in Lincoln's mangas.

What really happened though, none of them could have come close to predict it.

"Don't move an inch..." mysteriously advised Doggo, his peepers trying to catch on any sign of the human's disappearing and reappearing forms. The canine guard extended his right arm to the side, firmly grasping his sword. A cyan aura then proceeded to reflect against the weapon's blunt part. Lori's eyebrow raised significantly. Again with that cyan colour so close to the one of her and Lily's SOULs. And why did this energy dancing around a _sword_ feel so... compelling.

The young woman had no time to go all philosophical on this however, as her eyebrow quickly raised further, followed by its twin, when Doggo's small Glavius sword suddenly gained a blue blade of incredible proportions; almost 10 feet of pure blunt-looking magical energy ! With a reach that long, there was no way they could even consider dodging it, unless they pulled a very impressively done but just as impressively rehashed knee-bending evasion from the movies.

"This... is going to hurt." summarised Lisa, not even trying to hide her worry.

A glint shone near Doggo's eye, and the monster unleashed his assault in a flash. In this heartbeat of a moment, the kids' primal instinct ordered them to do something to evade the attack, and their bodies reacted as such, trying to bend or jump out of the blade's path. Unfortunately, to no avail. The kids felt a sharp sensation where the attack had struck, which ranged from stomach to the back of their heads. As always the wounds weren't serious, and certainly allowed no human blood to stain the snow below, but each of their health bars gained that little bit of red, and their _HP_ plumetting of 3.

"And now there is a nick in my cape. I'm never allowed to have nice things." brooded Lucy. Her comment held extra gloom for it being one of Goat Mom's presents, one of the very rare persons whose feel-good vibes she actually allowed herself to enjoy.

"Wow, check it out ! I was hit from behind, but my bag's okay !" noticed Luan. Indeed, the bag had no scratch whatsoever, while Luan's coat had a sizeable one. "My coat wasn't so lucky though. What the heck bag, I thought you had my _back_ ! Hahaha, get it ?"

"Prodigious !" exclaimed the bespectacled genius. "If I'd have to guess, I'd say the fibers that make those backpacks all possess some sort of molecular reduction that, upon the detection of any offensive magic, confers total intangibility on it, in the same way that its inner space expands into a hammerspace. How could monsters even think of accomplishing such-"

"Magic." answered Lincoln. Adding a wiggle of his fingers for effect. _Oooo..._

There was no doubt that Lisa's glare would have set the tree she was focusing her look onto in a blaze of fire had it possessed the power. She swallowed the word, _**hard**_ , and as always, grunted a frustrated "Sure, why not ?".

"Lana, _please_ tell me this didn't mess up my hair ! Tell me my hair is just as radiant as it always is !" freaked out Lola, running panicked hands through her long blonde bangs to check if they were all accounted for.

The little tomboy took a long look at the ugly gash in the back of her twin's prized hair, and knew she had to choose her next words very carefully. Because while Lola's hair was still as swayingly long as before, the bald patch stuck out as a very sore thumb. More so than any of the times she had hit her own with a whack of her hammer.

In the end, Lana chose the best option for her survival. "Yep, nothing to report. Every golden curl is A-okay sis, don't even think about checking it for yourself." adressed Lana with a big toothy smile and a shaking thumbs up.

"...I'm better off taking your word for it, aren't I ?" Lola resigned herself, to which her messy twin replied with a mechanical nod. "Well, at least I'm not bald this time, so that's something."

"Is everyone alright ?" asked Lincoln, rubbing some snow on his sore shoulder. "Looks like the monsters have new mechanics too. But how are we supposed to dodge an attack like that ?"

"Um, actually..." Lori raised her hand. When the sibs spun their heads around, annoyance and slight pain let place to shock. There was something wrong in the picture that both the oldest and youngest members of their group offered.

"YOU DODGED IT ?!" hollered Lynn in disbelief. But looking at their _HP_ bars, as well as Lily's adorable smile still being there, she had to face the facts. "I-I whack four balls out of five from the pitcher on Professional settings, and yet I didn't see that one coming ! How come you, with about twenty pounds in your arms, managed to avoid it ?!"

* _Splat !_ *

"I can't tell if it you got figuratively or litteraly insulted by that weight comment, but I apologise." said Lynn, rubbing away the snowball that had nicked her in the eye. "On another note, I was so right about you being a base-ball nautral." she complimented, but only received a big raspberry from her baby sister as a response.

"Hold on, _I_ was next to you, and I didn't even see you move." Luna recalled thoughtfully. "Have you been hidin' some ninja moves on us this whole time or something ? You can't tell me you just stood there, and that huge attack basically missed the both of you ?"

"That explanation's gonna be pretty hard then. Because that's litteraly what just happened." answered Lori, a bit uneasily, as she herself couldn't quite believe it. "When he attacked, a weird sensation came over me. I know it's gonna sound weird, but I think my SOUL was talking to me."

The thought indeed came as weird to her siblings... for about a second, before they simply shrugged it off. "Honestly, at this point, there is little that can be labeled as unbelievable." truthfully stated Lucy.

"Point taken."

"But what did it tell you ?" poked Lana.

"No moo' ! No moo' !" answered Lily with a flapping of her pudgy arms, wanting to be included.

"Yeah, that's the jist of it. _Don't move_." nodded Lori. "So, out of instinct, we stood still. And, as you can see, zero damage. Hey, now that I think about it, only me and Lily got that. Maybe it's got to do with the fact that this guy's attack was the colour of our SOULs ? Like a flame against flame protection of some kind ?"

"You two got spared because your SOULs are a particular colour ? I call discrimination !" raged the small glitterholic. If someone was to be unfairly advantaged with something, it was her, and no one else. "And besides, my SOUL is blue too !"

"Well, mine too, but you don't see me being _blue_ about it. Whatcha gonna do about it ? It's _cyan_ ce !" cracked Luan. Both the pun and the teasing elbow jabs proved to be a mistake however, when Lola, with a shrill battle cry, went for the throat, starting one of the Loud Family's infamous battle clouds.

As Lana and Luna volunteered to get their respective roommates out of their little brawl while the other girls watched with ranging expressions, Lincoln felt a pinch in the back of his mind. Thoughts and recent memories began to swirl, almost before his very eyes, and even more incredible, felt as if someone was fitting those pieces together. Only one being came to Lincoln's mind here, but he could hardly believe it. This was the first time they were directly helping him. Or perhaps the second, as it reminded Lincoln of his little burst of genius, in the middle of their fight with Goat Mom.

And at last, the picture in Lincoln's mind gained colour.

 _This is the Snowdin Arc, those puns ain't stopping any time soon._

"EUREKA !" excitedly yelped Lincoln, turning the attention to him, and giving the momentum for Lana to get Lola's clamped teeth off Luan's ponytail.

"He moved !" freaked out Doggo, barking left and right. "Movement, movement !"

"Who's Ricka ? I thought his name was Doggo. Nobody ever tells me anything." pouted the candid blonde. Lily offered one of her dummies, which she accepted without a second thought, and made her only big sister sigh in slight aggravation.

"It's all adding up you guys ! The sign, that guy's shifting eyes, the unavoidable attack of a different colour. Those were all telling us what Lori and Lily were told !"

Luna's eyes widened a little, starting to catch up. "Hold on brah, are you saying..."

" _Blue_ _attacks_ mean _Stand still_! And the fact that it was the same colour as their SOULs must be why they were the only ones who got it clear !" concluded the albino-haired boy.

"Does that mean there's going to be an attack for each colour ? Do the colours even mean something ?" brainstormed Lana with pursed lips, her own little orange heart floating above her open palm.

"We saw it before actually." cut in Lucy, putting a very startling hand on her little sister's shoulder. "Our Goat Mother, as well as that Vegetoid we met, both had a _**green**_ kind of attack. One that heals the SOUL instead of damaging it. Not like mine ever should if I want to reach my dreams..." Lucy adressed a positively freezing look at the concerned party of one, and she swore it got shinier and purer every time she looked at it, JUST to annoy her even further. "Can you dye SOULs ?"

"Well, replace the 'y' with an 'I', and you're pretty much sold." chaffed Luan with an exagerated wink. However, her face fell when she felt an uneasy chill go down her back. "I went a little too much into the dark side, haven't I ?"

"It ain't so bad. We've got cookies." answered Lucy with a small, but oh so rare levity in her voice, as well as a little grin, that paled in comparison to the cheek-splitting one her clown of a sister was sporting, laughing to her heart's content.

"We've already got our hands full with all those white attacks, but if they start throwing every colour of the rainbow at us, things are going to be crazy...er." Luna voiced her concern, before starting to serenly hum. "We believe, we'd catch a rainbow..."

"Welp, we've got his pattern down. That's good, but not enough to get past him." professed Lynn. "I mean, do we just stop moving, hope he looks away, and then either make a dash for it, or bop him in the head to- Right ! Right, sorry, I forgot, no FIGHT ever again." the athlete caught herself, shrinking under Lori's death stare, something that all of her siblings, minus Lily, had learned to dread.

"Getting his attention elsewhere would be a fine first step." approved Lisa. "Brother, if you would be so kind ?"

Lincoln nodded, and went for the MERCY button, followed by a bland _Spare_. Their turn now skipped, the sibs stood straight, and only allowed as movement the slight rising and lowering of their chests.

"You stop moving now, but you can't fool me, humans !" loudly taunted Doggo. It had been a couple of seconds, but the canine already wasn't even sure where they stood. But humans were known to always be on the go. Fighting wars, throwing sticks as distractions, giving treats to brainwash loyal dogs. Always sneakily moving around, that's what the Captain told them ! But with his attack, they didn't stand a chance.

It was Doggo's left blade that grew this time. As he reared up his furry arm, some of the kids couldn't hide their nervosity, and their legs itched for a quick getaway. But as the faint red outline around their SOULs glowed a little brighter, their will somehow steeled itself, and they kept still as statues and their gazes bravely locked on their opponent, ignoring the faint cyan hue that the Faded Ribbon and Blankie 2.0. gave.

Doggo slashed, the kids closed their eyes... and nothing.

"It worked ! It really worked !" whisper-celebrated Leni, her voice furtherly muffled by the dummy she was still happily sucking on. She knew that it didn't make her seem very smart, but it was quite relaxing. Not too relaxing though, she hoped.

Doggo wasn't quite as ecstatic as the peppy blonde. His attack hadn't hit anything, solely leaving him with confusion; something he did _not_ like. "Where did they go ? They can't be too far away, I can still feel the Fight going on." he mumbled to himself. The monster gave a couple of whiffs in the air, taking a step in the inert siblings' direction, but, instead of pursuing his advance, whipped his head around in full alert. "Maybe they're trying to sneak up on ol' Doggo from behind ! Clever humans, but not clever enough."

Somehow, Doggo's canine ears didn't pick up the snorts of amusement produced by the humans, who were getting a hoot out of his paranoia that reminded them of Charles every time he'd hear a noise close to a squirrel's. Which in dog sound lexicon meant about half of the sounds hearable on this planet.

"I know it's bad to laugh of the disabled, but I think you get a pass if it's that hilarious, and if they're a dog." snickered Lynn.

"I think nobody will mind, just this once." chuckled Lori, then got back to the business at hand/paw. "Alright, we've got him distracted. What now ?"

"Run very fast ?"

"Tie him up with our scarves so he'll listen ?"

"Poo-poo ?"

"Talk about * _dreamy sigh_ * Papyrus ?"

"Hold on, ladies ! And gent." halted Lola, smirking in her twin's direction. "I think we should let the 'expert' have the floor."

Lana's eyes were transfixed in Doggo's wagging tail. Frogs were of course the tomboy's favourite animal by far, but dogs came to a comfortable second. The little tomboy had been at the pound several times – one of those times being herself getting captured, a long story that had the keywords jelly beans, ferris wheel, and old lady scooter – and loved to surround herself with all those dogs who yearned for a companion. For hours, it would be nothing but running after tennis balls, rolling in the grass, eating dog biscuits, and taking naps as if she was part of the ever-changing herd. The guardians were happy for the help, and felt they needed to pay her with some sweets after every visit, but Lana really saw it as a nice bonus. The sight of all those panting smiles and wagging tails was really all she needed to have a fun time.

And in her eyes, the tail before her was certainly begging for some affection.

A minute earlier, the swords in the monster's paws could have stopped her reasonning. But now, she could feel her whole being warm up with a feeling of assurance and boldness. Indeed, she felt herself filled with _bravery_. She rised her arms, and snapped her fingers. "I've got this." she boldly stated. She pressed the ACT button, and chose the option she had just summoned.

Putting herself on her tiptoes and advancing with the quietness and dexterity that came with three years of night cookie jar snatching, she made her way to the wooden booth, and scaled to the top of the counter, where she patiently waited for the right moment to strike. Then, when Doggo took a step back...

Doggo was a good guard. He was the most experienced member of the Canine Unit of Snowdin for a reason; his mastering of the blue magic was something to be reckoned with, as was his dedication to work. No stick, big or small, could distract Doggo when he was on the job, no sir ! Those humans had been in his sights, he had even landed a hit ! But now, they were gone. And that report would not fly well with the Captain. Doggo would not be a good guard anymore. But this was no time for brooding ! Now was the time to-

His internal rant fell short when he felt something squishy touching the top of his head, like a big bug. Not only that, but it felt as if the insect was scratching its legs-

 _Wait._

Those weren't legs. Those were fingers, scratching his hair in the right way, and even behind his ears. Straight on, in circular motion, or just going wild, the fingers kept dragging along his fur. And that euphoric feeling it provided him. So familiar...

 **Great Scottish Terrier.**

"I'M BEING PET !" wildly barked Doggo, all common sense leaving him. But it did nothing to stop the furious scratching, quite the contrary. The canine monster's foot began to slam on the floor, and his tail flailed around giddier than ever.

Meanwhile, Lana was having a furious amout of fun rubbing her digits along the dog's short but soft fur. She could feel the excitement electrising every hair of his body, and his euphoria was punctuated in the "PET ?" he would constantly yell, which would sometimes change into "PAT ?" or "POT ?".

There was a brief instant of panic when Doggo's right sword sparked to life. But all she had to do was to stop petting for a couple of seconds to let the attack pass through her immobile form, and then carrying on her ACTion with the same fervour. Doggo could only collapse against the assault of affection.

"THE MADNESS ! IT NEVER STOPS ! UNSEEN AND UNMOVING, IT KEEPS STRIKING !" bellowed Doggo like a mad-petted dog. His mind fought to stay focused, but the pets were too strong, and he ultimately tumbled down on his back, rendering him helpless as a puppy. Seeing him like that only increased the girl's need to stroke his fur, as she bounced down from her platform to ongo her showering of affection.

"Aww, aren't you the cutest Doggo there is ? Who's a good monster guard ? Who's a good monster guard ? It's you, yes it's you !" cooed Lana, fervishly scratching his belly. Doggo's answer came in garbled whimpers of joy, his tongue sticking out of his mouth, and his right lower paw quivering then and again.

"If cuteness could be a radiation, we would be all mortally irradiated right now." summarised Lisa, cracking a grin.

"It's too precious..." tearfully murmured Leni, taking her phone out. "Totes a picture opportunity. But I can't really see, my eyes are all b-blurry..."

"There there, love. There's only so many times you can ruin a mascara in one day." Luna patted her back, offering her a tissue.

"I guess we could say that guy was all _bark_ and no bite !" Luan obliged with the obligatory pun, but winced when the hands she threw around her sides reached her fresh wound in the back. "Oh, right."

"Doggy !" cooed Lily, flabbing her limbs in an effort to get to where the petting fun was at, but Lori held a strong grip.

"Sorry Lily, but you had the dancing Moldsmals. It's your sister's turn to have fun." tutted the eldest sister. The infant pouted, but protested no further.

* _"Doggo has been pet. Very pet."_

After a couple more minutes for extra insurance, Lana finally had her fill with this guy. As she retreated to her siblings' side, she gave one last glance at the thoroughly content canine. The vision reminded her even more of all those happy animals that awaited her return back home. Charles, Hops, Geo, Walt, Cliff, El Diablo, and many more friends, may they be scaly, furry, with many legs, or no legs at all.

 _From that, Lana's **determination** to go home only grew._

The tomboy slapped a couple of high-fives as she arrived, and gave Lincoln the go. "Bro, you know what to do." With a chuckle and a little hat ruffle for her, Lincoln went for a now golden _Spare_ option.

* _YOU WON ! You've gained 0 EXP and 20 Gold._

 **Fight over**

The moment he felt the end of the Fight deep in his SOUL, Doggo's eyes snapped open, and his tongue scurried back in his mouth. In an impressive flip, the monster landed back behind his booth, and only allowed his eyes and ears to be seen from behind it, looking nervous-ier than ever before.

"H-Humans can pet without m-moving. The Captain didn't tell us anything about that !" sweated Doggo. "I need a break, a couple of dog treats before resuming my shift. Might as well send a message to the guys..." And he was gone.

"So much drama for a couple of pets. Some guard this is." snickered Lynn. "Should have guessed it though. They accepted that lazy bag of bones in for Pete's sake."

"Never judge a book by its cover." wisely reminded Lucy.

"No offense Luce, but I think you're the last person to which this advice applies."

" _Sigh._ "

After collecting the loot, the Louds could proceed once more, but before leaving the area, stopped to look at a couple of weird-looking dog treats.

"...Why do those dog biscuits have a burned end ?" innocently asked Lola, her confusion shared by all siblings of age that ranged from Lincoln to Lily, surprisingly including Lisa.

The oldest ones however, did an immediate reality grasp. And once they spared a look at the wooden booth and the wisp of smoke coming from behind the counter, they were quick to push their siblings forward, despite their cries of surprise and protest.

"Who cares about old biscuits ? Adventure litteraly calling to us, let's go !" hastily blabbered Lori, slightly wrinkling her nose. The dangers of tobacco truly were unavoidable, even in a world that breathed of magic.

* * *

Moving to the next area, our heroes noticed a big clearing ahead. Two paths were traced, again to the left and straight ahead. And in the center of the clearing, was a big patch of glass, that seemed to hold no water under it. And in the center of _that_ , stood a lonely wooden sign.

But before they could decipher all those trivial enigmas, the sibs met with a familiar skinless face.

"Sansy !" called Luan, having already found a nickname for him as well.

"eyy, kiddos. nice to see you again." greeted Sans with a small wave of his hand.

"But, it's been like, five minutes since we've seen eachother." quipped a confused Leni, then gasped in sheer horror. "OMGosh, has it been more than five minutes ? What year are we in ?! DO I HAVE WRINKLES YOU GUYS ?!"

"Leni, you've not aged super fast. Your skin is still as smooth as a peach, everything's alright." eased Lincoln, passing his hand against her cheek to prove his point to the big puppy-eyed teen.

"But she's got a point. In fact, I don't think it's even been five minutes !" Lola said, checking the time on her own phone, that had miraculously not ran out of battery after eight days down in the Underground. Thank goodness for Lisa and her durable, non-exploding batteries; a product that had taken many tries, and had costed the pageant princess her fair share of blonde hair.

"really ? feels like it's been a month or two already." Sans winked in a direction that _he probably shouldn't if he doesn't want his script to be rewritten with extreme prejudice._ "sheesh, not much of a jester that guy..."

Lana arched an eyebrow. "Uh, because it's a tree you're talking to ?"

Sans cracked a side grin. "doesn't mean it can't be a _pine_ in the butt."

(* _Rimshot_ *)

Boy and girls groaned and facepalmed, save of course for one guffawing comedienne. "Hahaha, I'm certainly _root_ ing for this act ! In fact-"

"Get her !" Luna yelled in ralliment, making her siblings, minus Lori, Lily and Lisa, tackle the budding clownette, and apply Plan NP-WV #6 (No Pun-Winter Variant), which consisted of binding her with their scarves. Luan defended her humour with all she had, but the Red Nose Moon of April Fools wasn't in the sky yet, and seven proved mightier than one.

"Nicely done. The heat has been binded, and the Pun Storm has been thoroughly avoided. We are in the green once again." congratulated Lisa, prompting her siblings to exchange high-fives, and Luan to grumble muffled profanities. "Y'know, if you'd just let me try-"

"You are not touching anyone's vocal chords. That's final, forever and even after that." Lori firmly closed the case. Lisa tried to reply, but, "I don't care if this sentence was gramatically incorrect, the point still stands."

"Are you still bitter about the utter violation of your bathroom privacy I've made 145 days ago for the success of my human transit studies ?"

"Actually no, but thanks for reminding me." eerily smirked Lori, sliding another snowball down the back of the young genius, who began hopping mad once again, to the great amusement of her sole little sister.

A small chuckle brought the humans' attention back to their monster friend. "heh, you kids are a riot, y'know that ?" said Sans, making them blush a little. "anyway, looks like you've made a couple of encounters along the way. I'm gonna say... snowy and doggo ?"

Lana giggled, rubbing the sore spot that Doggo had left on her. "Yeah, they did a bit of a number on us. But it ended alright ! The bird is flying his way to stardom, and I've made that tough dog melt into the puppy at heart he is."

"heh, i knew that kid had it in him. Gonna guess you gave him a little help ?" asked Sans to Luan, who could only answer with a hidden grin and a furious nod. "as for doggo, yeah, that old pup's fun to mess with sometimes. all in good fun, just _canine_ around."

(* _Rimshot_ *)

"We've still got some scarves left, you know." said Lola, as she threateningly whipped her scarf.

"hey, no need to get violent. I'll keep my lips sealed, I swear."

"But you don't have any..." slowly said the princess, before letting out a long and pained sigh.

Sans grinned a little more. "you said it, not me."

"Alright, alright, let's chill you guys." pacified Luna, patting her little sister's back. "We're wastin' some sunlight here."

"yea, pixey cut's right. you don't want to make my bro wait too much." suggested the lazybones.

"Is he that impatient to see us again ?" asked Lynn, with Leni behind her, watching with very hopeful eyes.

"heh, are you kiddin' ? you're all he's been ravin' about since you've accepted his challenge. oh, and leni, right ? paps says that he finds your hair pretty."

A shrill squeal of pure elation echoed through the forest, then stopped with a small plopping sound, coming from Leni's decision to rest in the snow with a huge goofy smile hammered on her face.

"Is Leni's scream classifiable as a weapon ?" groaned Lincoln, the small headache feeling twice as worse for him. It seemed that his mindmate hadn't enjoyed the deafening sound wave any more than he had.

"I'll study the subject the moment we return to our parental domicile." said Lisa with a finger fervishly trying to scratch the ringing out of her ear.

"Alright, one, two, three !" counted Lana, as she and Lynn tasked themselves with bringing their sister back to her feet. There was success, but a short-lived one, as the still grinning fashionista fell forward instead. Both tomboys rubbed their eyelids tiredly.

Lori sighed just as tiredly, and turned to their new monster guide. "Anyway, if it's not too much asking, is there anything you can litteraly tell us about this place, or what danger could be waiting for us ahead ?"

Sans scratched his bare jaw with one hand, as he had given the other to the curious toddler for a closer examination. It of course ended with her lightly nibling on it, but the skeleton didn't mind. "hmm, maybe a couple tips. Wouldn't want to make the trip too easy, eh boss ?" he winked.

' _That's going to be my name from now on, isn't it ?_ ' mumbled Lori to herself, but chose not to utter it out loud. "Alright, what do you have ?"

"well first, you gotta know that doggo isn't the only guard around here. he's part of the canine unit that defends snowdin, and i've gotta tell ya, they've been on the tip of their paws since they heard you were comin'."

"But how do we beat them ?" asked Lincoln.

"Pssh, we don't need any tip here." dismissively stated Lana, pushing Leni back up for the third time now. "All those dogs need are some good belly rubs, and scratches behind the ears. They'll mellow down just like that."

"A bit simplistic, don't you think ?" stated Lucy, making Lana and Lynn lose their grip out of fright, prompting Leni's head to meet snow for the fourth time.

"actually, she ain't far from the truth." quipped Sans. "but just petting won't work every time. you'll have to master the art of dog beyond what you probably know. not everybody makes it to the royal guard, y'know ?" A moment of silence. "hey, what are those looks supposed to mean ?"

"Never mind that. Anything else ?" said Lori.

"well, i can tell you something about my bro."

" _What's his favourite colour ?!_ " ravenously asked Leni, as she stood back up as if pushed by a spring, sending two girls of action down into the powder.

Sans blinked, ever-amused by the kids' antics. "more like a tip about how my bro fights." This made the Louds adopt confused expressions. "see, paps doesn't like harming others just for the sake of it, but that doesn't mean he's never been in a fight. it's kind of a requirement to get in the guard."

"Makes sense." nodded Luan.

"so, my bro's got a **special attack**. it's his wild card, and he only uses it when the fight gets real tough. do you kids know about _blue attacks ?_ "

"That we do, brah. It's all that Doggo guy dished on us, and it was one mean dish to digest." chuckled Luna, earning herself a pat on the shoulder and a wise nod from her comic of a roommate.

"Basically, you don't move when a blue attack passes by." resumed Lynn. "Not a fan of it to be honest, it kinda freezes up the action."

"that's good, you do know. but in the heat of the battle, you might forget." theorised Sans, which the siblings considered. There was truth in their grinning chum's words. But they didn't neeed to doubt or fear for too long. "don't worry though, i have an easy way for you to remember that rule. Y'know those stop signs ?"

"White shoe after labour day !" instinctively yelled Leni.

"Yep." confirmed Lincoln.

"Yay !" proudly celebrated the teen.

"...okay ? anyway, you know how those stop signs are always red ? well instead, try to imagine a _blue_ stop sign. get it ? in battle, simply think about  blue stop signs."

The light breeze managed to make itself known by the total absence of a peep from the bewildered sibs. Minus one.

"Oh, guess that makes sense." grinned Leni.

"What ?!" shouted Lynn, hands in the air.

"Sans, I must concede that I do not know you personally, and as such, I cannot evaluate with accuracy your Intellectual Quotient or ways of reasoning. But I must say, this was one of the most unhelpful allegories I have ever heard in my short existence." dryly quipped Lisa, though Sans didn't look insulted in the least.

"well, what did i just say ?"

"When in battle, think about blue stop signs ?" Lisa repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"see ? you remember it. mission accomplished."

Realisation hit Lisa like a train jumping off its tracks. Her widened eyes were twitching, and gargling noises were the only thing that were coming out of her falling jaw. This apathetic jester had **NOT** just intellectually foxed her. Her snickering siblings weren't making her bruised ego feel any better.

"Dang, Lis'. You gotta admit, he got you pretty good." Luna laughed good-naturedly, ruffling the top of her green beret.

"And here I thought that logic was your speciality." giggled Lola with a teasing elbow jab.

"Hardy. Har. **Har.** " punctuated the brooding scientist while harbouring a heavy frown.

"heh, sorry pointdexter. didn't mean to make sparks fly between us." half-apologised Sans, which Lisa gruffily accepted. "alright, you kids should be going. i'll join you in a moment. And remember, what colour are the stop signs ?"

"BLUE !" chanted the kids with varying tones, going from slightly amused to high jolliness, with a pinch of dryness and indifference in the mix. Sans gave one last chuckle, and sent them on their merry way. Once they were far enough, Luan was allowed to remove the scarves from her mouth, and she didn't look pleased at all.

"That was not cool you guys ! Besides, you can't bind comedy, as it knows _snowbound_." Luan quickly brought back her game, then sighed in relief. "Woo, I needed that."

"We just needed a little break, alright ?" said Lori a tad apologetically. She had to admit, they had been a tad harsh here. "Besides, there's litteraly no doubt we'll see him again, multiple times even."

Luan eagerly smiled, thinking of all the strings of jokes she could work out with her new buddy. She pushed it a bit to the side when the group reached the mini ice rink. "Now, what do we have here ?"

"Ice. As cold and devoid of life as my sweet Edwin's skin." recited Lucy with a tiny grin.

"Oooh, and it looks perfect for some ice skating !" happily noted Lola, noticing the lack of water that had ended her last performance rather prematurely.

"But you don't have any skates." Lincoln felt the need to point out.

Lola hautingly chuckled, and pinched her brother's cheek. "Ah, young naive Lincoln. A true artist doesn't need the greatest paint palette to make the prettiest of paintings. Watch, and be amazed."

The young girl rushed forward, and the moment her boots came in contact of the ice, she swiftly slid along its surface, making easy eights, gracefully twirling, executing triple saltos with ease, and even somehow managed to write up her own name with her sliding marks. Once she reached the other side, she bowed to her siblings' cheerful applause. In the background, she swore she was seeing Sans lifting a sign, but instead of an actual note, read ' _Out for Lunch_ '. The moment she looked again though, he was gone.

"Sweet moves, sis !" praised Luna. "But while you're on the stage, you mind looking at that sign for us ?"

"Consider it done." said Lola, pride sailing high in her tone. And sailed she did, moving across the rink, but didn't find any ground to stop herself by the sign. So, she did the next best practical thing that came to her mind : Reading it one line at a time.

"It says, ' _North : Ice_ '..."

 _Slide..._

"' _South : Ice_ '..."

 _Slide..._

"' _West : Ice_ '..."

 _Slide..._

"And ' _East :_ -'"

"Lemme guess. _Ice_?" sarcastically threw in Lynn.

"Actually no, ' _East : Snowdin Town !... and more ice._ '" chuckled Lola. When she returned near her siblings, she made extra care to slide her shoes to the side when stopping to cover her sportive sister's head with ice dust. "THAT, is for interrupting me."

Lisa sorted a compass of her own invention, and read it. "According to this, the rectangle of information standing over there acts in the way of an exact compass rose to whomever reads it from a perfectly 180° angle." She quickly noticed her siblings giving her weird looks, and sighed. "East is straight ahead."

"Wait, can we go see what's up there first ? I've got a good feeling about this one !" excitedly proposed Lana.

"Everyone agrees ?" polled Lori, meeting an unanimously positive answer. "Alright, let's do it. But I swear, if there's another fishing rod..."

"That would be pretty _rod_ undant, hehehe. Get it ?"

The sibs answered with their usual groans, and proceeded forward, being careful to go around the ice area. None of them had Lola's skills to do it without ice skates, and Lana had demonstrated to be especially bad at it in the past.

 _To her credit though, chances were she had been the first to ever score a strike, of her own family, on ice._

* * *

The sign's directions turned out to be true, as all that waited the siblings in taking the northern direction was a bank of snow that ended with a cliff. And beyond it, nothing. Well, they assumed there was nothing, as anything that could be there was shrouded in a veil of obscurity. A collective shudder passed through the siblings' backs looking at it, reminding them of the hole that had started their adventure. It was the same darkness they were gazing into.

 _And this time, it was Lily who swore she saw it looking back at her..._

But hey, no time to worry about that, snowman ahead !

Indeed, standing just by the cliff, was a snowman, an oddly-crafted one at that. It had some of the standard snowman stuff, such as the smiling face with the carrot nose, and the three buttons on his chest. But the form of his body was more hourglass-shaped instead of the usual snowball-on-top-of-another appearance, and no twig arms had been added. But apart from that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the snowy figure.

"Huh. Who knew monsters also make snowmen ?" said Lori, wondering how much more monsters had in common with humans. Malls, perhaps ?

"It's looking a bit chunky, though. Think Papyrus made it ?" snickered Lynn, not noticing Leni, not pleased with the skeleton of her dreams being badmouthed, throwing a nasty glare at her.

"Nobody made me, but mother snow herself."

The Louds jumped at the sudden unknown voice, and slowly turned towards the only figure that could've spoken out. And it looked back, blinking.

"Hello there !" cheerfully greeted the snowman.

"Um, hi." Lincoln waved back. To think that a couple of weeks before, this would've spooked the socks out of him, worst than Lucy's sudden appearing. Now though, it felt like finding a dollar on the floor. Surprising, but not life-changing. Heck, not even day-changing !

"Even snow can possess consciousness down here. The more you know, they said..." huffed Lisa, jolting down fresh new notes in her trusty notebook.

"Um, are you okay there Lana ?" asked Lola, a bit weirded out at her twin's wide and glimmering eyes, bigger than the ones she had deployed when seeing Doggo for the first time.

"T-Twig Arms. Is that really you ?" whispered the tomboy, extending a shaky hand in front of her.

"Um, my name is indeed Mister Twig Arms. Mister Twig Arms the Third in fact." answered the snowman. His grin wavered a bit when he felt the little human grip his body into a hug. "Are you alright ? And... are you crying ?"

"N-No ! Okay, maybe a little. But I'm just so happy !" Lana pressed her head against the surprisingly steady body of snow. "You're named just like two snowmen I used to know. I made them with love, and they were awesome winter buddies. But they met their end too soon, all because of an evil winter-hating sister and her big dumb brain !" she hissed, venom lacing her tone.

Lisa could feel reproachful stares boring into her skull, and put on an annoyed look. "Have I not been notified that today had been made ' _Lisa's shaming Day_ ' ? Perhaps I would've painted a target on my face, making it easier for you to aim where the most pain could be dealt."

Luna shook her head, disapprovment clear in her features. "You're smart enough to know what consequences are, Lis'. You reap what you sow, and you've sowed some nasty seeds that day."

" _And_ you've never said sorry." added Luan, completely serious this time around.

Instead of guilt though, Lisa only flared up. "You must be jesting. I do not see why I should apologise for the mere destruction of two inanimate figures, unable to muster consciousness, that would've melted as soon as the temperature would have risen for the coming of Spring !"

Leni sharply gasped, and put her hands against the side of the slightly confused monster's head. "Lisa ! Not in front of the snowman !" she berated with a light scowl.

"C'mon Lisa, it's the right thing to do." gently proposed Lincoln.

"The _ridiculous_ thing, you mean. I refuse !" rebuked Lisa, certainly NOT acting childish. However, her prideful mask crumbled when she heard the sound of Lynn's knuckles cracking. "Now hold on, you were prohibited to-"

"YOU, are not a monster." cooed the athlete with a predatory grin, eagerly flexing her gloved hand.

Lisa's gaze turned to Lori, and when she caught the blonde's lack of reaction at the jock's threat, the young prodigy did something she was not accustomed to : She admited defeat. "The things a woman of science like me must put up with... Alright, fine !" She approached her messy sister, who now had her back turned on her, and kept her arms crossed with her nose in the air. "Lana, I... apologise, for accelerating what the nature would have done anyway."

The comment earned her a rough punch in the shoulder. "Hilarious, wise gal. Try again." scowled Lynn.

Lisa grumbled some more, but obeyed. "I apologise for destroying your friend. Twice. And just to prove that I was the smartest." Her siblings made a ' _Go on_ ' motion. "While in fact, I only showed off how... _**dumb**_... my big brain is." she almost choked on the word. To associate Ignorance and herself was like a division by zero !

Lana didn't seem very convinced, but still said, "I accept your apology... partially."

"Oh come on !" groaned Lisa. "Whatever more do you want me to do ?! To put on a little jig in the snow ?!"

"I'll _think_ about it. It could be now, or when we get back to the Surface. Maybe for once, it'll teach _you_ something." coldly huffed the handygirl. A sharp contrast to her little sister, who was sizzling with annoyance and anger. Before another conflit could spark on, Leni gave her bespectacled sister a comforting pat on the head, leaving her grumpy, but appeased enough not to test how far Lana's pigtails could be stretched before breaking.

"Um, excuse me ?" the Snowman reminded the kids of his presence. "Sorry to interrupt, but did you say you were going to the Surface ?"

"It's in our agenda, yes. What's it to ya ?" answered Lola with high suspicion.

"Lola, don't be rude." scolded Lori, then calmly smiled to the monster. "Yes, we are trying to get back to the Surface."

"Back ? Oh, you're the humans everyone's been talking about !"

"We're getting a little too famous for our own good, and for my taste." dryly quipped Lucy. The last thing she wanted was to be in the center of a darn shiny spotlight !

"Oh that's wonderful !" exclaimed the snowman with a radiant smile. "Would you mind helping a poor snowman out ? See, I can't move from here. This cliff and forest are all I've ever seen of the world, but I know there is so much more to discover ! Rivers, caves, towns, and other wonders ! Oh, how I yearn to see them all ! "

"That's so sad..." teared up Leni, seizing Lisa in an eye-popping hug.

"How can we help though ? Not sure we can take your whole bod' with us." reflected Luna. "Or we would have to separate you into pieces, and I have no clue if that's actually gruesome stuff for snowmen."

"No need for all that. All you have to do is to take a small part of me, and it'll feel like I'm with you all the way."

Lana approached the snowman, but seemed a bit reclutant to execute. "Um, won't that hurt ?"

"As long as you only take a small piece, I won't feel a thing." answered Twig Arms III with a twinge of excitement. "And don't worry about melting it either, it would take a dip in lava to make it happen. Which wouldn't feel very nice, so please don't try."

Passing her glove against the Snowman's side, Lana managed to collect snow and make a small snowball, that seemed a bit sparklier than the ones she had seen before. She admired it for a moment, before handing it to Lisa. "Here, you take it."

"I beg your pardon ?" dryly answered Lisa.

" _You_ are going to transport Twig Arms' piece all the way to the Surface. If you can do that, I'll completely forgive you."

Lisa felt the need to protest at first, but that desire was pushed aside once she took a good look at the lightly gleaming snow. "This piece... it basically equals to a small portion of skin from a monster. This is, pun unintended, the freshest DNA I could hope for !"

From afar, Lincoln's eyes lit up with a familiar red light.

* _"Snowman Piece, heals 45 HP; 10 HP each when divided. Too precious and full of dreams to be eaten."_

Luan agreed, but with a snicker. "How _cold_ that would be. We'd be on _thin ice_ with ourselves. That would simply be not _cool_ -"

* _Splat !_ *

Lisa let her hand fall to her sides, and shamefully bowed her head. "I'm afraid I failed the task, and on a humiliatingly low time too."

"Nah, you did the right thing. No one in their right minds wouldn't have shot her with a snowball in their hand." Lana shook her head, then sheepishly turned to the monster. "Um, sorry about that."

"It's alright, it was used for a noble cause."

"Hey !" exclaimed the comedienne, snow still splattered all over her face.

"Just take another one." allowed Twig Arms III. Lana quickly scooped another snowball, and put it in Lisa's backpack before Luan could joke again. "Simply take it out of the bag from time to time, so I can admire the surroundings. Thank you so much, humans."

"The pleasure's all us, cool guy." cracked Lynn. But before they could depart, an idea striked her mind. "Hold on, I know how we can improve you a little, and at the same time make you live up your name, if y'all know what I mean."

The siblings immediately caught on the idea, and two small parties went to retrive the materials by the trees. After a team unhooking and some pine plucking, all under the Snowman's curious gaze, both orange-hearted sisters lifted and stuck the two branches by his sides. Those were quite long, and their ends looked like very thin-fingered hands.

"Ta-da !" chanted the duo. "Do you like them ?"

The snowman stood speechless as he observed his brand new appandages. They felt... right for some reason, almost as if he'd missed a part of himself for all those years, and only now realising it was missing. Not only figuratively and spiritually, but also _physically_. The monster focused, and to his surprise, as well as the humans', the tip of the branches moved ever so slightly.

"By the Angel, I can feel..." breathed the monster, overwhelmed by this miraculous change. "I-I-I don't know what to say. Sure, it'll take a while to fully get them to move, and I'm still stuck here, but I can actually feel something. Somehow, I finally feel whole as a snowman, all thanks to you."

"It's getting so emotional..." Leni teared up again, and reached for someone to hug. Lisa quickly swapped places with Lucy, who accepted her cuddling fate with an audible groan.

"Humans, know that it's not just my dreams to see the world who'll be with you on the way. You also have my gratitude, and my wishes to see you succeed in your quest. Once again, thank you, humans."

"Aw man, where's all that water coming from ? It's raining through the holes of that crummy old ceiling, that's what it is." stated Luna with watering eyes.

"And the drops are somehow falling near our eyes. Y-Yep, totally it." Lola agreed, clenching her fists to hold the waterworks back.

Twig Arms the Third now complete and happy, the siblings waved their new friend good-bye. _And to his eternal delight, he waved back._

…

Taking the eastern path, the kids saw the rows of trees ending, and arrived to a small snowy area, again surrounded by cliffs, but with a clear path ahead. The area's center was bare of snow, as if someone had shoveled all the snow aside, but with minute precision to create a perfectly symetrical square zone. Needless to say, the small scientist was impressed.

And who better to live up this empty area than a pair of whacky bros ?

"SANS, YOUR LAZINESS HAS BECOME UNACCEPTABLE !" ranted Papyrus to his laid-back brother, who took it all with his unfaltering grin. "THE NAP YOU'VE TAKEN YERSTEDAY NIGHT BEAT RECORDS, AND THAT'S SAYING SOMETHING !"

"bro, i told ya. it's called sleeping."

" _THIS EXCUSE IS RENDERED INVALID WHEN SAID SLEEPING TIME EXCEEDS 18 HOURS !_ "

"what can i say ? i'm a sucker for extra hours."

Papyrus groaned in Surround at the pun-laziness combo his brother liked to give him. Every. Single. **Day.** "SANS, NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR SHENINIGANS ! I MEAN, WHAT EXAMPLE ARE YOU SETTING FOR THE HUMANS ?!"

"well, why not ask them ?" said Sans, turning around.

Papyrus followed him, and gasped when he saw the Loud Clan on the other end of the desnowed area, some of them waving, especially the tall-ish one with the long blonde hair. "OH MY GOSH, THEY'RE HERE ! I-I MEAN... _NYEH HEH HEH ! AT LAST YOU ARRIVE, HUMANS !_ ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR FIRST OF MANY CHALLENGES ?!"

The Louds scanned the area, and were certainly confused by what they found. Or rather, what they didn't. "Um, I don't see any challenge. Or puzzle. Or anything really." Lincoln stated the obvious.

"NOTHING BEFORE YOU, YOU SAY ! OR IS THERE ?" Papyrus wriggled his eyebrows, making Leni fawn with delight. "THEN, PREPARE TO BE _SHOCKED_ , IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE !" Sans approved of the choice of words. "BECAUSE BEFORE YOU, HIDDEN FROM THE NAKED EYE, STAND THE 'INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE' !"

"And suddenly, things get a little more dangerous." said Lori, not sounding particularly worried.

"It's too bad we can't see it. What a _maze-_ merising sight that would be ! Get it ?" cracked Luan.

Papyrus' smile loosened, and stomped the ground in a fit. "ARGH, SEE SANS ?! ALREADY THEIR IMPRESSIONABLE MINDS MIMICK YOUR BAD EXAMPLE !" Sans nonchalantly shrugged, and Papyrus decided to not bother any further. For now. "ANYHOW, LET ME EXPLAIN THE RULES ! THE MAZE YOU DON'T SEE BEFORE YOU HAS A SINGLE EXIT DELIVERING YOU TO THIS SIDE ! FOLLOW IT, AND YOU WIN ! BUT BEWARE, BECAUSE IF YOU GRAZE A WALL..." Papyrus opened his palm to reveal a baseball-sized glass sphere. "THIS ORB HERE WILL GIVE YOU A HEARTY ZAP !"

"I'm not sure I like this game anymore." shuddered Lola, already imagining her hair in a wildly frizzled state, maybe even charred.

"Well, he did say invisible _electricity_ maze. It wasn't very fun-sounding in the first place." reminded chillax Luna.

"Zap zap, bad !" quipped Lily with a frown.

"I must concur with my younger sibling's statement here. Electricity suddenly flowing through your Epidermis is not something one would normally qualifies as _fun_. To the exception of Lucy and friends, perhaps." lisped Lisa. Lucy answered with a ' _so-so_ ' movement of her hand. They had done it like, _once_ , for a birthday.

"CORRECT YOU ARE, LITTLE HUMAN WITH HUGE GLASSES ! BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SOUND FUN ! AT ALL, REALLY. HUH..." Papyrus' brow tightened in thought, but quickly regained his upbeat tone. "ANYWAY, GO AHEAD ! GIVE IT A TRY !"

"So... any volunteer ?" asked Lincoln. His finger quickly reached his nose. "Not it !"

"NOT IT !" followed his sisters, except for the guitar maestro herself.

"I'll do it. I've dealt with so many amps and joy buzzers, what's one more zap to the noggin' gonna do ?" she casually offered. The purple-clad teen took a couple of steps forward, under the worried gaze of her sibs, and slowly advanced her probbing purple boot...

* _BZZZZZZZT !_ *

" **YEOOOOOWCH !** "

Luna immediately removed her leg from the area, but only out of surprise, as the loud cry of pain had not been hers, but the puzzle master's, whose body was now covered with soot, and had two white eyes comically blinking.

"Looks like the zapper got zapped." commented Luan, earning a few giggles from the others.

Papyrus shook the soot off his body, and got hot under the collar. "SANS, WHAT'S HAPPENING ?! DID YOU DO SOMETHING ?!"

"bro, you're still holding the orb." revealed Sans with hidden amusement.

Papyrus looked at his hand, and his cheekbones glowed a faint orange. "OH, RIGHT. UM, ALL PART OF THE DEMONSTRATION !" gloated the Puzzle Master with a boisterous laugh. It did little to save him face, but he was certainly trying. Papyrus proceeded to walk through the small maze to join the children, but did so following a precise path. And while the square-shaped zone had no snow, the little that was still under Papyrus' snow made for a VERY obvious solution spoiler.

All, but to the spoiler guy himself, whose presence, for the first time this close, filled the kids with a small burst of energy, but was quickly replaced by dread when he presented them the zapping orb. "TO WHOM MUST I GIVE THIS TO ?" asked Papyrus, confused as to why the humans were avoiding his hand as though it smelled garlic, which was nonsense. His hygiene was spotless !

He then caught the sight of a wide-eyed Lori. "OH RIGHT, SANS TOLD ME THAT THE ONE WITH WHITE EARMUFFS AND A CONSTANT LOOK OF NAGGING SUPERIORITY WAS THE LEADER !" Lori threw a dark glare in the stout skeleton's direction, who responded with a proud thumbs up. "HERE, TAKE THIS PLEASE !"

Lori took a quick step back, looking at the orb as if it was... well, made to shock her ! Plus, Lily in her arms wasn't reducing her anxiety levels, nor was her trying to reach the 'shiny ball'. The eldest blonde knew she could easily shake the jolt off, like Papyrus had done, but who knew what a shock this powerful could do to the unknowing infant ? She needed a way out, but no one seemed any more thrilled to touch the menacing item. "Uh, I would gladly take that orb, but..."

Her tirade ended when she felt her back bumping into someone. Turning around, she saw her peppy roommate, only she looked quite stiff, pale even, and everyone could hear the clatter of her knees. Her ( _if you'll excuse the term_ ) skele-bando was standing mere meters from her, and the thought was leaving the poor girl petrified with anxiety.

But in the heat of the moment, Lori only saw someone that was **not** unwilling to take her place.

"...my sister here wants it more than I do ! And as a fair leader, who am I to refuse her that honour ?" tightly grinned Lori as she planted her sister in front of her, now mere _inches_ from Papyrus.

"Meep." was all Leni managed to articulate, her cheeks flaring with a powerful scarlet.

"MEEP TO YOU TOO !" answered Papyrus with enthusiasm, believing it was some sort of human greeting. Leni's eyes widened to their limit when Papyrus took her hand to put the orb in it. "HERE YOU GO ! HOLD IT TIGHT, PLEASE !" He then dashed back to his bro's side, taking the exact same way as before. "ALRIGHTY, _NOW_ GIVE IT A TRY !"

Leni's mind went blank. Not the first time, but this was more serious. "He... He... He gave me a j-j-jewel... He gave me a jyaaahhgazada..." quite litteraly melted Leni. Indeed, her siblings could hear the sound of her brain turning into marmalade, and see her eyes losing all focus from reality.

"Death through romance. Cheesy and drooly, but oh so deep." murmured Lucy with underlying passion.

"LENI, NOOOOOO !" howled the twins, crestfallen to see that they had lost their sister to the poison of love.

Lisa wasn't letting her go that easily though, as she immediately sorted the pocket defibrillator that she apparently had. Shouting "CLEAR !", she applied the paddles on her sister's chest, effectively pulling her back to reality.

"HE WILL BE NAMED FERNANDO !" yelped the teen, before realising where she still was. "What just happened ? I remember Papy getting shocked, then nothing. Hey, why do I smell like chicken ?"

"You were offered this sphere by the monster of your idle fantasies, and lost all touch with the real world, to the point where I had to use electrode-filled surfaces to reboot your main cortex." explained Doctor Lisa.

Realising that not all of the last minute had been a fantasy, Leni began to giggle dreamingly and drool again, but was stopped by a hard pinch from Lynn. "Enough with that overused gag ! We have Luan for that !"

"HEY !" snapped Luan. The comedienne could handle the lack of laughter and harsh criticism when telling her jokes, but if there was one thing she would never let others diss and trample, it was her originality.

"Alright, group huddle everyone !" Lori ordered. In a flash, the circle was formed, with Leni still hanging on her orb.

"Okay, do we do this the same way we passed that spike puzzle ? You know, the one we got through choo-choo fashion ?" asked Lincoln.

"Sounds good." nodded Lucy. "But who's going to lead us down the track this time ?"

The siblings lost no time to look at Lori, who proudly smiled. "Well, I guess if the answer is that obvious-"

"It should be me !" chirped Leni.

"YOU ?!" said sisters and brother in confusion.

"Well, duh ! _I_ 'm the one who has the orb, which means I get to lead the march ! That's how they always do it on TV !" huffed the blonde. "Am I the only one who learns the important stuff here ?"

Lisa's brow intensely furrowed. "Oh, this just got personal."

Meanwhile, Sans and Papyrus watched the arguing huddling, and the energetic part of their duo couldn't help but feel a tad envious.

"SANS, WHY DON'T WE HAVE SIBLING CIRCLES LIKE THEM ?! IT SEEMS QUITE FUN !"

"sorry bro, but they've got the number advantage here. we can't make a circle just the two of us, it's the rule." said Sans.

"REALLY ? DARN ! FOILED ONCE AGAIN BY ETIQUETTE !" huffed Papyrus, crossing his arms. "I SURE WISH THERE'D BE THREE OF US SKELETONS RIGHT NOW !"

Sans' eyes widened at his brother's words, and for a split second, his grin loosened. Then, he let out a wistful sigh, and murmured to himself. "me too, paps. me too."

 _Back to the Louds..._

"And that's why I earned that pudding cup fair and square !" Lola puffed her chest.

"Yeah, and we can clearly see where it went !" sneered Lana.

Lola's cheeks lit up with a wrathful red. "Why you dirty little- !"

"Dudettes, stop !" intervened Luna. "I don't even understand how we got to _that_ conversation ! Now Leni, sis, you sure you wanna be head light ? It's a heck of a responsibility."

Leni felt a bulge forming in her throat, but immediately swallowed it down. "My Papy gave me this respon... respa- this orb ! It's the first step in our relationship, the first act of trust between us, and I can't let him down !" she insisted as she lovingly craddled the object as if it was Lily.

"Look, no offense Leni, but you did get lost at a Treasure Chase that happened in an Elementary School. And you somehow managed to get to the middle of a forest miles away from it !" recalled Lynn with a deadpan look.

"Hey, that was seven years ago !"

"Not that one, the one Lucy and Lincoln were in." corrected Lana. "You weren't even participating, you got lost on the way to the bathroom !"

Leni's face saddened, and she looked to the side. "There was an arrow in the streets, I got confused." she meekly said.

Lori rubbed her temples, mulling the situation over with calm. Leni wasn't an idiot, and she would punch anyone who'd say otherwise, but there were times where she could be extremely shallow. And today hadn't exactly been a streak of ingenoisity for Leni. But at the same time, she didn't want to belittle her, as it would only rise tension and only hurt the blonde's feelings. In her arms, Lily imitated her big sister. But as they mirrored eachother, a familiar sensation echoed between the two, and the memory of Goat Mom handling this type of situation appeared in their minds.

" _Every child must go at their own pace... When they stumble, you mustn't shout at them for it, but help them realize a better way, so they can learn to walk by themselves... Splendid ! You did very good, Leni. We all knew you could do it._ "

 **Supportive.** There was the key word she was looking for. With that in mind, Lori adopted a confident smile, approached her uncertain sister, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Leni, if you truly feel you can do it, go for it." said Lori.

Leni's face brightened, and her watering eyes were now ones of joy. "You mean it ?" she hiccuped.

"Absolutely. Just remember to hold my hand, and to follow the tracks Papyrus left." she whispered the last part. Leni took a face of quick realisation, then nodded, overjoyed of the trust that her big sister had placed into her. Her siblings however, didn't look so sure of their leader's decision.

"Lori, I'm glad that you're taking your supportive leader's role to heart, I really do. But..." Lincoln cleared his throat, trying to find the right words. "... I do think that putting Leni in charge of our bodies not getting zapped with a million volts, is a bit risky."

"As in a **lot** risky !" intervened Lola, not caring for subtlety with Lori, but caring enough for Leni to keep her voice down as she stood a couple of steps away, giddly looking at the orb she had been entrusted with. "What were you thinking ?! She can't even do those maze games on the back of _Choco Pops_ boxes ! She keeps being distracted by how funny the monkey looks ! Why would you give her such a big responsibility ?!"

Surprisingly, Lori didn't lose one bit of her cool. "Because, sister of little faith, giving this kind of mission to someone like Leni help them grow to be more confident. It's how Toriel would've done it." The siblings' protests instantly quelled when hearing the name of their guardian, and could only agree with their sister's notion. "Besides, the solution couldn't be more in the open here. I'm sure Leni can avoid getting us zapped until we smell like a burnt barbecue." Concern came back to the siblings' expressions, and Lori winced. "TMI, sorry."

"Hey guys !" called Leni. "Like, I've just noticed the ball is kinda less shiny than it was when Papy had it, what gives ? Do we need to plug it ?" As she wondered the question, the pretty teen took an unconscious step back, which brought her to the maze zone's border. As soon as her turquoise boot grazed the de-snowed area, a small zap made her jump back with a yelp.

"You see ? The orb's out of juice. We don't actually risk anything." whispered Lori with guilty relief.

"We are guaranteed a _fruitful_ success, hahahaha ! Get it ? Because it's run out of _juice_ ?" grinned Luan.

"Let's just cross that maze already !" groaned Lana.

Lincoln nodded, and turned to his second oldest sister. "Alright Leni, ready to own that maze ?"

Leni arched her head to the side. "But I didn't buy anything- oh, as in beat it ! Sure, let's totes do this !" she happily chirped.

"We are so not passing this unscathed." deadpanned Lynn under her breath.

"To keep my thought succint : Ditto." concurred Lisa.

"Hush with the negativity. Now, everyone in a single line ! I don't care in what order, but once you lock hands, they stay locked !" commanded Sgt. Lori with a clap of her hands. Soon enough, the human chain was assembled, with Leni upfront, followed by Lori – with Lily on her back koala-style – then Luna, Lynn, Lucy, Lincoln, Lola, Luan, Lisa, and finally Lana.

The orb safely tucked in her extended palm, acting like a front light, Leni began the trek. Brows started to sweat as they neared the first turn, wondering if the blonde would react in time. But it was with great relief, and even a bit of pride that they saw Leni following the trail of snow with acute precision.

"She's doing it !" said Lana.

"Told ya so." Lori grinned a tad gloatful.

"I don't say it often, but it looks like I was wrong." admitted Lola with a side smile. "I really thought Leni was going to bounce around the walls like Geo when he gets too much sugary treats."

"Heh, yeah ! Or maybe she'd run straight to Papyrus to give him the orb back, knowing that he would give her a lot of recognition, and maybe more !" added Lincoln with a big laugh. But when he felt – yes, _**felt**_ – Leni's blood freeze and the edges of her lips stretched to their limits, hilarity stopped, and instead came a conclusion that would have made him slap his forehead had his hand not been locked with his little sister's. "I really wish I could glue my lips together sometimes."

Lori wanted to glare at her brother for his stupid move, but she knew time wasn't allowing her an extra glance here. In her hand, was the limb of a ticking love bomb, and the fuse was getting dangerously short. The orb wasn't producing any electricity yet, but Leni's skin was already trembling with sparks of overcharging excitement. And when Leni had a goal she was really excited for, it was hard to steer her mind from it.

"Leni, calm down. Remember, you gotta keep your eyes on the ground, and your mind in the task. We are all counting on you here, don't let yourself be distracted. If you follow the path, you'll still get to **Papyrus** , so just-" Lori stopped when she felt Leni's hand stop trembling. Its suddenness was quickly understood by the blonde leader, and she sighed. "Dang it."

" _I'M COMING MY LOVE !_ " yelled out Leni with heart-shaped eyes. Her newly installed GPP (Guidance Per Papyrus) kicked in, and she quickly followed the shortest way to the monster of her SOUL. The power of love didn't just provide her love, but strength as well, and her siblings were unwillingly taken into her mad scramble. And of course, the moment Leni crossed the obvious solution's limits, the spheric penalty acted up. She didn't feel any of the shocking, but her siblings certainly did, and though it didn't hurt, it wasn't a pleasant sensation either.

Thankfully, it only took Leni a handful of seconds to get to the Skelebros, and once all feet were on snow grounds once again, the orb powered down, in both senses of the term. Papyrus held a neutral look, blinking at the beaming human in front of him, while Sans observed the scene with an amused grin, and, for a reason he couldn't place his bony finger onto, a craving for some fried chicken, even though he had never tasted any.

"Here~ !" Leni offered him the orb back, anticipation written all over her pearly whites.

"...THANK YOU ?" accepted Papyrus with a confused grin, scratching the back of his skull. "I MUST SAY, I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO SOLVE IT LIKE THIS. YOU BARELLED THROUGH THE WALLS WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION."

"I did ?" asked Leni, genuinely surprised.

" **Yes. You did.** " growled her siblings, the small sparks coursing their hair having nothing on the intensity of their very unamused glares. Except for Lily, who still felt giddy over the mysterious tickles she felt every time she touched her own skin.

"Oh." Leni shrunk under the looks. "Oopsie."

"THIS IS QUITE CONFUSING. YOU PASSED, BUT IN A VERY UNORTHODOX MANNER. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO REACT OR FEEL ABOUT THAT." said Papyrus as he crossed his arms, and looked to the ceiling deep in thought.

Leni gasped. She didn't understand what ' _Unor-toe-box_ ' meant, but she knew one thing. Her performance hadn't pleased Papyrus. Even worse, she envisionned, he could be... disappointed in her ! Instead of esteem, she had only made him look at her with utter _**shame.**_ Poor Leni began to tear up. Of all the things she could goof up...

But Sans, not indifferent to a man's tears, especially if that man was a girl, swooped in to salvage the situation. The best he could, anyway. "that's exactly why she did it."

"NYEH ?"

"yeah, think about it. there was only way to get pass this puzzle. _or so you thought._ but instead of going through it the brainy way, she instead used her endurance to resist the shock. didn't you ?"

"Y-Yes ?" said Leni hesitantly. She had no idea where the bare-boned jokester was going with this, but her moist eyes were seeing a glimmer of hope in his words, and she wasn't about to let it slip through her fingers.

Papyrus scratched his chin in contemplation. "WELL, UNDYNE DID SAY THAT HUMANS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE GREAT ENDURANCE, AND ARE QUITE PROUD TO SHOW IT OFF."

"Somewhat accurate, but more perceptive in particular cases." lisped Lisa. Lynn immediately felt herself concerned by the allegation, but didn't bother denying it. She was actually quite proud of that trait.

"see ? but you didn't see it coming. she used the element of surprise, and showed ya a brand new solution. clever move, if you ask me."

"Um, totes what he said ! Surprise !" celebrated Leni.

The lanky skeleton gasped dramatically. "INCREDIBLE ! YOU SOLVED IT IN A WAY THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HADN'T EVEN THOUGHT POSSIBLE, YOU BRILLIANT BULLDOZER ! HUMAN, THROUGH YOUR WISDOM, YOU HAVE OPENED MY EYES TO NEW PUZZLE-FILLED HORIZONS !"

"Leni and wisdom. Antithesis to its finest." Lucy dryly muttered under her breath.

"BUT ! HUMANS, KNOW THAT THIS WAS ONLY A PRELUDE, AN APETIZER TO THE PUZZLE BUFFET WE HAVE CONCOCTED, MY BROTHER AND I !" Papyrus posed with brimming confidence that got a few "oooh's" from the Loud kids, and a muffled squeal from Leni. "INDEED, THE NEXT PUZZLE YOU'LL HAVE TO FACE HAS BEEN MADE BY NONE OTHER THAN MY DEAR BROTHER, SANS ! PREPARE TO BE CONFOUNDED AND THOROUGHLY CONFUSED ! I KNOW I AM ! NYEH HEH HEH !"

Papyrus vacated the premises, bounce in his step, leaving Sans with the Louds once again. And it was a bit of gratitude that found its way in Sans' permanent grin. "heh, you're doing pretty well. thanks to y'all, my bro's having a load of fun, more than I've seen him having for quite some time."

But gratitude could go both ways, and Leni certainly demonstrated that by scooping the skeleton into a hug, making his slippers leave the ground. "Oooh, thank you thank you thank you, THANK YOU Sans ! You totes saved my skin back there ! And thanks to you, my first talk with Papy went perfectly ! How can I, like, ever repay you ?"

Sans chuckled. "well, i take checks and discount vouchers. but maybe you should take a look behind you before thanking me. i don't think you're out of trouble just yet."

Leni's joy let place to confusion, then switched to cold dread when she saw nine pairs of eyes boring into her skull. With a gulp, she shakily waved at them. "H-Hey guys. So, I can totally explain."

"I'm pretty sure we can fill in the blanks, thank you very much." scowled Lori, with a glare that mixed sternness and disappointment. "Leni, what you did was Lynn-level of reckless, and I'm being polite here."

"I'll say ! You were doing so good, but then you had to be a _buzzkill_ !" raved Luan, sending a wink to Sans, who promptly returned it.

"Yeah, initiative's always good in my book, but not when there's an easy strategy that has absolutely no chances of failing !" Lynn added her two cents.

"I just recovered from what that dog guy did to my hair, and now look at it !" harshly accused Lola, pointing at the palm tree shape her scalp had now taken. Just looking at her reflection made her little glittery heart ache to the near point of tears. But as she looked around, she noticed some that didn't look so affected. "Aren't you a little concerned about your appearance ?!"

Brother and rocker looked at eachother, and gave a complice smile to eachother. They both removed their headwear, presenting their slightly disheveled hair. They then licked their hands, passed it through their hair, and, to Lola's astonishement, made them immediately regain their appearances.

"The advantage of having short hair ? Bad hair days are kind of a myth." smugly explained Lincoln.

"Hail to that." chuckled Luna, sharing a rock pose with her bro.

"And well, you know I don't give a hoot about appearances." said Lana, giggling at the ticking touch her hair now offered. In Lori's arms, Lily gleefully imitated her messy sister. "It's just like the time I rubbed those balloons against my hair. And then I did it to yours, which made it twice as hilarious."

"Thanks Lana, exactly the reminder I need right now." hissed Lola with clenched teeth and fists.

"You're welcome."

"AUUUUGH !" Lola furiously rubbed the top of her head, messing her hair a little more in the process, and also getting her a little angrier. Quickly, she grabbed her comb and multiple sprays to put it back to its perfect shape again.

"Let us be thankful to Papyrus for lowering the sphere's intensity beforehand. Who knows how many of our nerves could've gotten fried out, or perhaps even causing our organic hearts to stop." grimly theorised Lisa while patting her messy brown hair to less messy status. As she turned around, her eyes widened, and a rare amused snort escaped her lips. "Lucy, perhaps you should be using a piece of light reflector, because-"

"Weigh those next words carefully, little genius, for they could be your last." coldly snapped the little goth. To the average looker, dry neutrality was still the only thing her face reflected, but from her siblings' point of view, they knew the young poet was absolutely livid. Her bangs, normally as smooth as a butternut coffin, were now curled into the most ridiculous afro. A couple of bangs were still hiding her eyes to the world, a thankful detail, both for Lucy herself, and her siblings.

 _Huh ? Why were her siblings thankful too ?_

…

Anyway, as Lola continued her operation, and Lincoln offered to help her raven-haired sister getting her hair's spook factor back to normal, Leni could only shrink under the hard glare Lori was giving her. She knew that look. It was the one that promised an earful that she would be feeling in the morning. And this time, the fashionista had nothing to shoot back. So, lowering her head, she waited for it. "Go ahead, just chow me out, or however it goes."

Lori's scowl deepened a little, but didn't answer just yet. Before, she would've obliged her sister's request without a second thought. Then they would get a little mad, let things simmer down for a while, and then everything would be back to normal. But this was before. Right now, she was not only under an oath she had made to herself, but she also needed all hands on deck at every time, and as such, didn't have the time for a petty arguing session. And looking around, she knew there wasn't even a good reason to start one.

"Leni... I'm not going to chew you out." asserted Lori.

"Y-You're not ?" sniffled Leni.

"You're not ?!" cried out a bewildered Lola.

Lori shook her head. "I'm not, because everything worked out in the end. We aren't hurt, we passed the puzzle, and bonus, Papyrus is happy. There is no need to make a big deal out of it." As he combed Lucy's hair, Lincoln couldn't help but smile at her big sister's newfound maturity. "Just, next time, don't let yourself be distracted. I know how it's like to have a hunky face you can't tear your eyes from, but family comes first, okay ?"

Rubbing her eyes off any moist, Leni nodded. "I'll do better next time, I swear."

Lori gained a kind smile. "That's all I wanted to hear."

Lily concluded the case with giving a hug to her ditzy big sis, and the rest felt appeased at the adorable sight, even those who thought Leni had been pardonned a little too easily...

"aw geez kids, i'm almost busting the waterworks here." quipped Sans, flicking an inexistant tear away.

"Suuuure you are." Luna playfully rolled her eyes, and everyone chuckled.

"what can i say, i'm an emotive guy like that. but anyway, did you notice that weird gear my bro's wearing ?"

"Yeah, it looked so _cool_ ! Do they make them somewhere ?!" said Lincoln with a little too much enthusiasm. Hearing her sisters snicker, the tween attempted to play it cool.. "I-I mean, it was neat-looking. Yeah..."

"Why there isn't a big _DORK_ written all over your forehead is a mystery to me." teased Lynn, snickering some more when Lincoln replied with a small punch to the shoulder.

"Lincoln's right though, it looks cool, especially the scarf. Floating in the wind like he's a superhero !" Lana excitedly hopped with youthful wonder.

"And classy. The tailor who made this must be a wonder, making dresses fit for a princess." day-dreamed Lola.

"nope, no tailor involved. all homemade." winked Sans.

"Wow, I had no idea your house was such an artist." cracked Luan. Groans quickly arose.

Of course, Sans followed. "Well, it saw a _window_ of opportunity, and assured us it was quite _carpet_ -ble to _handle_ it. So we opened the _door_ to the idea, and met _wall_ -breaking results." The groans sharply increased in intensity, and facepalming levels went up by 400%. "Aw c'mon, those were... _hila-roof_."

(* _Rimshot Combo !_ *)

"Bravo, bravo ! Bis, my good sir, bis !" applauded Luan, even hrowing a fake rose at the skeleton.

"So, to go back to the suit ?" cut in Lori, rubbing her forehead.

"ah yeah. so at first we just made it for a costume party, but paps ended up loving it so much, it's now all he wears. he says it's his 'battle body', designed to strike awe and coolness everywhere he goes." chuckled Sans, before his tone grew with warmth. "man. ain't my brother the coolest ?"

"The coolest in the whole universe ! And everything he wears becomes automatically cool !" merrily shouted Leni.

"Even leggings ?" tested Lana, knowing how much her sis dreaded those.

"He could sport socks with disco high heels, and it would become amazing !" squealed Leni without missing a beat.

"Now _that_ , is dedication." Lucy made a respectful nod, with her hair finally back to its normal back-haired dome of spooks shape.

"Ah, perfect once again." Lola sighed contently at the flawless reflection she had learned to adore. "Alright, let's move out people !"

Humans and monster approved, and bid their temporary farewells to eachother. The instant they were gone, Sans snapped his fingers.

 _The next instant, the area was bare of any SOULs._

* * *

"Well, no client today. For the 53rd day in a row..."

It was an antropomorphic bunny monster who uttered this melancholic sigh. With a tall lanky body-type and coated with fuzzy sky blue fur, the guy rested an elbow against his little ice-cream cart, completed with red stripes on the side, and a yellow-and-red striped parasol. His clothes shared the same colour, with his t-shirt being a mustard yellow with a red stripe on the right, and his red jeans going all the way down his shoeless furry feet. And as if the universe wanted to assert his status, the monster had a sizeable tuft of hair that ressembled jello poking between his long ears.

And right now, the young frozen treat seller wasn't feeling like living to his jolly nature. "I just don't get it. This was the perfect spot to set my business, I was sure of it. There are monsters crossing this bridge every day, and the kids love coming here to play Ball. I poured weeks into perfecting my recipe, and my cousin said she loved them. So why is nobody getting one, especially by that beautiful weather ?" the bunny monster could only wonder. The silence answering him only prompted another sigh out of him. "Maybe I should've stayed with Mom at the shop..."

It was then that his ears perked up at the sound of shuffling feet. Curiosity fueled his movements, and the monster turned his head to the path that led to the Ruins door. Doing so, he caught the sight of approaching rosy-skinned children.

The vendor hitched a breath. Had his prayers been answered ?

At the same time, the kids entered the new area with some curiosity of their own. Beyond a small wooden bridge, waited a large area filled with everything they had seen thus far. Snow, stone ground, ice, pine trees, and two paths going straight ahead, but one was right in their sights, while they would have to walk down the area to reach the other.

But before they could properly focus on it, a mesmerising smell invaded their nostrils. The one of frozen sugar that had brought happiness and relief to many of their hot summer afternoons. Slowly, they pivoted their heads to meet the vendor's gaze, that was reflecting the same hope as theirs. And when peepers locked with eachother, came joyful conclusions.

"Customers !" exclaimed the long-eared merchant.

"ICE-CREAM !" the kids roared with joy. They quickly surrounded the cart, and drowned the monster in excited chatter. Seeing him getting overwhelmed, as well as his oldest sister getting caught up in the movement, Lincoln intervened with a sharp whistle.

"Guys, let him breathe ! We need him alive if we want to get ice-cream !" reminded Lincoln, effectively calming the girls.

"Not necessarily." grimly quipped Lucy.

"That's the talk of a grave-robber, Luce."

The goth winced, and looked to the ground. "This shame, I fully deserve."

"You got overwhelmed by the power of ice-cream. It happens to the best of us." said Lincoln as he gently patted his little sister's head. A tiny smile graced Lucy's lips, and the boy turned to the blue rabbit, who was a little bit frazzled. "Let's do this again. Hello sir ! Do you have any ice-cream suggestions for us ?"

The long-eared fellow beamed at this. "Indeed I have ! Delicious **Nice Creams** !" he proudly announced, showing his still-wrapped product. Somehow, light shone over it, and a choir could be heard in the background. The children's pupils grew threefold at the sight of it.

"I can almost taste it..." said Lana as she audibly licked her lips.

The Nice Cream Man smiled at their eagerness. "Like it ? You should ! It's the frozen treat that warms your heart ! And don't worry, I have plenty for everybody !"

"Real talk here : Do you have chocolate flavour ?" put down Lynn, meaning business.

"Of course ! They're a customer favourite, so I always prepare a dozen of them !" chuckled the vendor. Immediately, the girls roared cheers to the ceiling, and induced themselves into little jigs and awesome boogie moves.

"Ah, chocoholics. It's quite cute how little they need to be happy." chuckled Lincoln to the camera, his tone almost condescending.

"Oh, I also have mint-chocolate-chipped flavour if you want." jovially quipped the stallholder.

"I'LL TAKE TWENTY !" blurted Lincoln, too focused on tasting the heavenly combo to ask himself how the heck he had managed to snatch the bag of gold that now rested atop his palm. Lori certainly seemed to mind however, as she immediately swiped it back.

"So, how much is it ?" asked Lori, her calm tone still carrying a bit of restlessness.

"Not much ! Only 15G per Nice Cream !" replied the vendor.

Eagerness quickly died down amongst the kids at the price's announcement, and was replaced with the cold fear of losing their even colder treats. All eyes turned to the resident genius.

"One frozen delicacy each would cost us the modest sum of 165G." Lisa quickly mathed.

Expectant eyes then turned towards Lori, and the blonde looked at the side of the pouch. A neat little detail monsters had added to their wallets, pouches, and other money-carrying items, was a magic number note that automatically gave the number of Gold inside it.

All humans held their breath for the verdict and pressed their gloved hands together with all their faith... but their hope crashed to the icy ground when they saw the disappointed look their leader took.

"We've got 162 Gold... Three coins short of it." she gloomily announced.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO !" yelled the twins in ice-creamless despair.

But a certain sports captain wasn't out of ideas yet ! "Wait up, I've got a plan ! If one of us share our ice-cream with Lily, seeing as she can't hold one, that gets us to ten ice-creams, and about, um... carry one, plus two peanuts... 150 Gold, which we have !" concluded Lynn with a proud grin. "See ? I can math sometimes !"

"Yeah, you're certainly getting a degree with that." Lisa breathed sarcasm.

"Wow, really ? Man, I knew the brain was a muscle, but I didn't know I had it buffed up as much as the rest." Lynn grinned slyly as she smooched her twin guns. Lisa let out a looooong sigh, and made a mental note to do another sonography of Lynn's brain later.

Lori's expression though, didn't change. "Sorry sis, but I see two major flaws with that plan. One, is there any volunteer to give some of _their_ ice-cream to Lily ?" As expected, the breeze was the only one to answer her, aside from the side-whistling of some of the kids.

"Um, would you like to take one for the team, hehe ?" awkwardly tried Lynn. Lori looked at her with the same look she'd give anyone trying to leave her their chores without something in return or an excellent excuse. The brunette bowed her head, "That's a nope, gotcha. So what's flaw number two ?"

"What's left afterwards. Goat Mom gave us this money as a backup, most likely to get a room for the night, until we collect more from other monsters. And since I'm gonna guess we have a unanimous NO for sleeping outside, blowing it all up on ice-cream doesn't seem to be the smartest solution. In fact-" Lori let out a regretful sigh, "-I think it'd be better if we don't get ice-cream. At all."

"But we could just do what we did with the donut !" pointed out Luan.

Recluantly, Lori shot down the idea. "We can't _slice_ an ice-cream. I'm sorry guys, but this is the best solution. Well, the safest at least. And that means..." she couldn't fight back a hiccup. "... no ice-cream."

Sad acceptance was all that could be read over the kids' expressions. Lincoln, Lynn, and Luna all slumped their shoulders, with the latter humming a melancholic tune. Luan took out a mini-klaxon, that when pressing it, deflated with a broken _honk_. Lisa jolted down the hour of her joy's death, Lucy's aura oozed pure misery, and not the one she liked. But none look more broken-hearted as were Lily, Lola, Lana, and Leni, going full kicked puppy-eye mode, supported by whimpering sniffles and trembling lower lips. Those, right there, were the true face of a child that had lost their ice-cream without even having the opportunity to taste it.

And the Nice Cream Guy could feel his heart shatter at the sight of it. In fact, the overall sadness that blighted the kids was moving the blue man to tears. He had opened this stand to see the smiles of children, not to provoke gloom and tears out of them. It was his **duty** to do something about it, and quick, as the children were already leaving !

"Think, think..." the monster tapped his forehead. Suddenly, his ears sprung up. "WAIT !" he called to the children, who turned up at once, startled and sad, yet intrigued. "Look, business has been slow this time around, so... how about I make it 10 for the price of 5 ? And I'll throw in a free one for the little one. What do you say ?"

The kids didn't _say_ anything at first, but their tears of sadness morphed into tears of joy. And with a mighty cheer, they rejoiced.

"Woo ! It's never too cold for ice-cream, baby !" yelled Luna, joyfully shredding her air guitar.

"I don't usually show... oh you know what, who cares ? ICE-CREAM, YEAAAAH !" wildly fist-pumped Lisa.

"This is the second greatest moment of my life !" chirped Leni. "Or maybe the third. I mean, there was the time that shoe truck crashed in our street. I was swimming in heels, and they were all in !"

"Yep, you were head over _heels_ that day. But now is a just as en _dairy_ ng moment ! Hahaha, get it ?" giggled Luan with that big grin of hers.

"Alright, points for that one." said Lola, as she and Lana applauded. Luan's joy doubled.

"Golden heart, for once, I allow you to exist." murmured Lucy with a small toothy grin.

"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS !" hecticly sang Lynn and Lincoln, arm in arm.

Lori warmly smiled at her celebrating sisters and brother, then directed the same smile to the merchant. "Thank you so much, mister..."

"Oh, silly me ! The name's **Adrien** , but everyone call me Nice Cream Guy. And the pleasure's all mine !" beamed the monster.

"Still, thank you Adrien. So, here's your money." Lori dropped the sum inside the bigger pouch attached to the cart. Adrien looked at the jingling golden coins with glee. Finally, his first profit, the first of many he hoped. His train of thought was cut short when he felt something squishy brushing against his cheek, and saw one little human in a purple parka hugging his neck. Lori snickered at the sight. "Aaaand, here's your tip. Her idea, not mine."

"Poo-poo." cooed Lily, as she rubbed her little head in the monster's fur, its softness almost matching the one of Toriel's.

Amused and feeling warmth invading his heart, the Nice Cream Guy rubbed the grateful infant's head, and handed her back to her big sister, before rummaging through his freezer to find the promised treats. As soon as they were out, they were swiped by the children, with the thanks that went with them, and were promptly unwrapped. The Nice Creams had the form of popsicles; brown for the ladies, and green with brown dots for the sole brother. The licking promptly began, and so did grateful moans.

"There is an ice cream better than ice cream ?!" said Leni, her eyes wide with enlightenment. "Everything is different now..."

Lana was in the same predicament. "My mind is blown... but my mouth ain't." shrugged the tomboy, returning to the delicious treat in her hands.

"Brah, your slogan is no hack. It's cold, and yet I can feel my whole bod warming up !" complimented Luna in-between furious licks.

"If it provides me with such mind-boggling facts for me to decipher AND chocolate to enjoy, I think I am more than willing to give magic a chance." asserted the bespectacled prodigy, still with a little strain in her voice.

"Lily, for the last time, your face is not a tic-tac-toe board. Just because this isn't mashed vegetables doesn't mean the rule changes." Lori scolded the giggling baby. Her words were unregistered, and Lily gleefully continued to smear her ice-cream all over her face, licking her lips and hands in the process. Lori shook her head, and decided to focus on her own piece of frozen sweetness.

"My wounds are healing." pointed out Lucy, looking at her HP bar becoming a golden yellow once again. There was a moment of silence, before Lucy turned her gaze to the camera. "Expecting another dark comment, maybe about the 'scars of my heart that never heal' ? Sorry, but my melancholy is no match for the positive power of chocolate ice-cream."

"When I get famous, I want a hundred of those delivered to my mansion every day !" declared Lola while wolfing down her Nice Cream, but still keeping manners intact with her lifted pinkie.

"Wow, easy there tiger ! That prey isn't gonna escape your claws, y'know." chuckled Luan, but then noticed another predator in the frey. "Never mind, chop it down tiger, because your title of ice-cream queen is on the verge of being taken !"

"I don't know * _lick_ * how I'm doing * _lick_ * that, but * _lick lick_ * I just can't stop from * _lick lick_ * licking every chocolate chip there is on this Nice Cream ! * _licktacular combo !_ *" Lincoln managed to utter, before his tongue started working like a ninja spin dryer – _probably crossing that from your 'Words I never thought I'd hear or see' list_ – by skillfully touching any brown spot at a most impressive speed.

And then, the source of the influence became pretty obvious.

* _LICK IT ! YOU MUST LICK THEM ALL ! NEVER STOP TASTING THE DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE !_

"I need a new mind." whimpered Lincoln.

* _ **I AM YOUR NEW MIND !**_

As Lincoln was dealing with a new and troubling facet of his ghost buddy, the Nice Cream Guy kept looking at the happy scene with a feeling of accomplishment. He couldn't wait to share this story with his mother, aunt, cousin, and maybe even brother. As soon as he'd come back from duty...

Finally, as the last morcels of chocolate were being licked off the fingers, the siblings all contently sighed, appreciating the moment. As for that moment, life was good...

But a sneeze from their youngest member reminded the group of the coldness of their surroundings. "Alright, snack time's over, let's get going everybody." said Lori as she wiped her sister's nose with a handkerchief. But before starting to depart, she adressed one last smile to the _sweet_ monster. "Good luck with your business, Adrien. You deserve to have your business working."

"Heh, good luck to you too !" he replied, unable to stop smiling. "Oh, and do keep the wrappers. Give them a look if you feel in a funk some time, I promise you won't regret it."

"Thanks kindly mate, you're occupying one cool spot in this girl's book." Luna finger-gunned.

"And that despite your fuzzy fur !" quipped Luan.

"Bye Mister Nice Cream !" enthusiastically waved Leni. Her brother opened his mouth, then promptly closed it, not having, or rather lacking the heart to ruin the moment.

Waving good-bye, the Louds were on their way once again, and the last words the kind bunny heard from them were given by the most energetic.

"I never thought ice-cream in the snow would be so darn good ! But I don't get why he didn't pick a warmer place to sell them. I mean, hotter place means more people wanting an ice-cream, thus more profit, right ?"

And those words were not lost on the young merchant. Scratching his chin, he realised that perhaps a relocation was in order. Not only to spread the Nice Cream word, but perhaps to get used to it as well.

 _After all, the next clients he'd meet could get to enjoy his products in a much fresher air..._

Walking past cracking wooden boards, the Louds arrived to the larger area. And, becoming less a coincidence than a rule in Snowdin, they met once again with their skeleton guide.

"hey again." he lazily waved. But this time around, his casual greeting was met with surprise.

"Sans ? Hold on, weren't you back there two minutes ago ?" Lana jerked a gloved thumb behind her. "How did you get here without us seeing you ?"

"easy. You were so focused on your nice creams, you didn't notice me walking behind your backs." explained Sans with a humourous wink. " _i can be really discreet when i want to._ "

"Oh !" said Lola.

"you sound surprised."

"Well, kinda. To be honest, I was just thinking you were too lazy to even put in the effort into it. But eh, you can't walk two feet without getting surprised in this place, so I'll just accept it."

"Oh, so when he does it, you believe him. But when I do it for eight years straight in the house that you live in, I must have the ability to teleport. Which is flattering, but not the case at all." crossly remarked Lucy.

"Suuuuuure you don't." said Leni, patting her gloomy sister's head, and not even realising how belittling it sounded. Lucy certainly did, if her audible teeth grinding was any proof.

* _Liar._

' _Huh ?_ ' Lincoln tried to probe an answer out of his ghost buddy, but did not get anything. Having no idea what they had meant, and feeling a little freaked out by Sans' stare laying on him again, Lincoln decided to ignore it.

"So, anything new since two minutes ago ?" tersely asked Lori, wondering what kind of quirky comment the skeleton most certainly had in store for them.

"well, i've been watching you and nice cream guy over there, havin' a good time, and it made me realise something."

"You wanna grow some hair ?" jested Luan.

Sans chuckled. "nah, I just thought i'd start selling grub too."

"And what kind of substenance are we talking about here ?" lisped Lisa.

"just some **fried snow**. interested ?"

Lisa stopped. She just stopped, while her mind tried to process this new information. One could almost hear the hundreds of little Lisa's running around her inner cortex in total anarchy, banging computers against walls and crying into corners. Once the many fire alarms in her head stopped ringing, the astute toddler slowly raised her hands up to her face, and kept them there without a peep.

"Still on with that 'giving magic a chance' thing, sis ?" Luan couldn't resist the urge to tease.

"There are many reasons why I miss Goat Mother as our guide." mumbled Lisa, her voice wavering. "Her well-rounded mind, her delicious pastries... the kisses on the forehead she'd give before going to bed. But it is only now that I realise what I truly admired about her." Her lips trembled. " _She made sense._ I mean, I know it's quite the vague quality to tag someone with, but in this... _**bizzare world**_ for the lack of a better term, I cherished that quality more than I thought I did. It was just so nice how much sense she made, how much common sense she had. I miss it so much..."

Could Sans' smile gain more cheekiness ? Yes, yes it could. "welp, I make _sans_ , so it's almost the same thing. You're welcome, pointdexter."

Luan began busting a gut, while the siblings chuckled at a more moderate level. As for Lisa, she simply let gravity take its course, and crashed face-first into the soft snow.

" _I wanna go home..._ " she pitifully sobbed.

Lincoln picked the green mass of misery, and began to gently rock her in his arms. "There there, everything's alright." he reassured her. Lisa had no care about her pride right now, and let him do so while craddling her notebook like a comforting plushie.

"well, is that a yes or a no on the fried snow ?" quipped Sans. "c'mon, i'm a busy guy, you know. i've got at least two breaks i still need to attend to."

"How much ?" asked Lana.

"just 5g."

"Neat ! Lori ?"

"Well, there's no such thing as having too much items, if we wanna play it safe." shrugged Lori, both content and worried of how much normal Lincoln's video game logic now seemed to her. "Alright, fried snow it is."

"wait, did i say 5g ? I meant 50g."

"What ?!" Lori jumped out of cold shock.

"gotta pay for that material somehow."

The blonde whipped her head around. To her left, to the right, to Lily, and finally to Sans. "What material ?!"

"I'll take some !" Luan raised her hand with a big toothy smile.

"Luan !" exclaimed her siblings, except for Lisa who was still sucking on her right pollex.

"wow, really ? How about 5000g ?" the monster slyly offered.

"I follow !" said Luan, returning the grin.

"Loons, you can't be serious !" gasped Luna.

Judge Sans lazily, yet dramitically pointed a finger ahead. " **50000g.** last deal. are you in, sunshine ?"

"Consider that deal due and done, Sansy ol' chap." Luan nodded, twirling the end of her false mustache.

"one piece of fried snow, sold for 50000g to the lady with the braces. a great deal if you ask me." Sans knocked his squeaky mallet down.

"We're broke." gawked Lincoln, falling on his knees. "Luan made us go broke over a piece of fried snow. There are just so many things wrong with the sentence I've just said."

"How are we even gonna foot that bill ?!" panicked Lana. Her distress only grew when she realised the only option. "We're going to be Sans' personal pet humans for the rest of time ! Of all the stinkin' irony !"

"One hour out of the Ruins, and we're being sold to a lazy skeleton version of Luan." breathed Lucy, a small twitch rippling across her cheek, then crossed her arms with a ticked off huff. "Fine, be that way, _life_. I never liked you either."

While her siblings were envisionning their new nightmarish future solely made of puns and even poorer humour, the grinning duo were discussing payment. "check or credit card ? unless you got the gold in your little bag ?"

"Nope ! But I'm sure we can work it out later. You know me, when I have a bill, I don't _duck_ from my responsibilities !"

Lola glowered in the comedienne's direction. "That's right, rub some lemon juice on our wounds, while I cry over what really matters !" the six-year-old's eyes watered. "I'm gonna have to sell all my tiaras, dresses, and trophies to get out of debt ! MY PAGEANT CAREER AND LIFE ARE RUINED FOREVER ! WAAAAAAH !"

Poor Leni wasn't faring much better. "What about me ?! All my dresses, the ones I've made with my sweat, tears, blood, and water to wash off the blood ! They were supposed to be in the store front of every boutique of the state ! Now they'll be used as matress filler ! Or worse !" Leni made a fair imitation of Edvard Munch's most famous work. "They'll be thrown in the 80% off box of shame !"

"I can say good-bye to my axe and amps too, dudes. And all my CD's, going through the door and never looking back." Luna already mourned. Despite it all, she threw a solemn rock sign in the air. "At least I'll still have Rock'n'Roll inside me SOUL. Peace, mates."

"Teddy ?" whimpered Lily, imagining her best friend, the one that had comforted her through so many lonely nights, being cruelly taken from her. The baby could only let her lips tremble in sadness.

Luan was holding her laughter the best she could, but it was starting to get difficult. She couldn't believe her siblings could still be so naive after all those years living with her. But as she saw eyes starting to well up, she decided it was time to deliver the punchline.

"So, before we shake hands and wrap this up, may we have our fried snow please ?"

Sans patted his jacket, blinked twice, then shrugged nonchalantly. "welp, that's a bummer. it looks like all my stocks _melted_ under their success. guess it means you don't owe me anything."

"...Come again ?" said Lori with wide eyes and a fastening breathing, an expression and action shared all the now silent siblings.

"HAHAHAHA ! You should've seen your faces ! I can't believe you didn't see that one coming ! With a guy like him, you should've really _seen through_ his charade !" Luan guffawed. But she was so deep in her own laughter that she did not notice the menacing shadow approaching her, neither Sans taking a few steps back. And when she did, it was already too late.

Looking up, Luan didn't feel like laughing anymore. What she could feel however, were twenty eyes boring into her skull. In fact, she could almost feel them drilling into it. The creepiness was elevated even further by the wide smiles they all displaying, reminding her less of happy children, and more of a school of pirhanas that had just found their next meal.

"So, did you have fun giving us heart attacks, sister ? Well, now let us have some fun of our own." uttered Lori in a tone that did not promise any candy apple.

"I don't like those new faces you have." said Luan, pearls of fearful sweat rolling down her brow.

"Oh don't worry, you won't be seeing much in a minute." Lynn chuckled dangerously, making each bone of her knuckles crack as slow and loud as she could. "Anything you'd like to say before the operation begins ?"

Luan's eyes whipped around for an exit or a glint of salvation. But when she found none, she knew that this was how the cookie crumbled. And in her eyes, it had been a delicious cookie.

"This prankster has no regrets." she saluted, her last thoughts going to her bunny and her emo friend. Behind her, Sans returned the salute.

"AIM FOR THE TEETH !" Lana cried out, like a valkyrie going to war. And it was all the signal that the Louds needed to pounce on her, and began another comical fight cloud. It was made even more cartoony by the sounds of pain Luan made, ones that reminded of a famous mouse's best friend.

 _Due to the rating of this story, no more details will be added. Instead, appreciate this minute of calm and serenity._

…

 _Dang ! Is that move legal ?!_

After a full minute of sibling violence, the fight died down, leaving ten huffing sisters and brother, and one crumpled Luan resting on the ground, with a big dizzy smile on her face.

"Lookit Ma, shooting stars. Boy do they have a bad aim, hehehe..."

"Is she going to be alright ?" asked Lincoln, worried they had gone a bit too far.

"We didn't break anything that stops her from walking or dodging magical assaults. Ergo, she's fine." analysed Lisa, dusting her hands. "Also, if we could never talk about that little breakdown again..."

Lincoln smiled knowingly. "What breakdown ?"

"Much appreciated, brother of mine."

"you sure know how to give a good beating." said Sans, failing to keep the critical touch out of his casual tone.

"More like we know how to bump heads, especially when it's when a sibling goes a little overboard with their 'thing'." explained Lori, rubbing the little spots of chocolate left on Lily's cheeks.

"Like after Luna had her first successful concert. She was so ' _in the zone_ ', the walls of the house were shaking all day, and our dog kept howling for the end of the world." recounted Lincoln.

"Bro, harsh ! We agreed to never tell that to anyone !" blurted Luna, blusing an embarassed pink.

"Well, you did almost get the house to cave in. It was in the local newspaper and everything !" laughed Lana.

"Guys !" Luna pulled on her purple cap to hide her reddening face. Seeing the normally so cool rocker getting so flustered got a good laugh out of the kids, and oblivious to them, eased Sans' mind a little.

"welp, i think it's time for me to leave. I'll call you back when I restock on fried snow, so don't you worry 'bout a thing." winked the skeleton. "see ya kids."

Once the skeleton had walked down the second path and disappeared from their view, realisation settled in the siblings' minds. "Hey, he just weaseled his way out of getting his just desserts too !" exclaimed Lola.

"Lazy he might be, but our skeletal companion is certainly a crafty fellow as well." noted Lisa with great suspicion.

"Let's forget about him for now, and just see what's that way !" Lana pointed to the path ahead, sniffing the air. "It smells good for some reason. Maybe there's another furry friend at the end !"

Lori rubbed her chin. "Well, Sans went the other way, but I guess a peek can't hurt. Just, let's hope there _isn't_ a furry friend at the end."

"Aww, but why ?" pouted Lana.

"Because while fights might get us more allies, I'd like to litterally avoid them as much as we can. Getting burns and cuts wasn't funny before we came in the Underground, and it's not becoming any funnier." explained the blonde leader matter-of-factly, but ended with a small smile. "But, if there are any pettable guys on the way, you have full ground to do what you do."

"YES !" rejoiced the tomboy.

"Alright then, let's just fix Luan up and go !" excitedly quipped Lincoln.

"Haha, that crack in the ceiling looks like a bunny." Luan snickered wobbly. "...Are my legs still there ?"

Lynn and Luna answered the comedienne's question by lifting her back up, with Leni fanning her face with her hand. When her mind seemed to focus back to reality, her face scrunched in annoyance.

"Man, I didn't even get to say _bone voyage_ to Sans ! Get it ?"

"We didn't hurt her humour either. Dang it." said Lucy.

"Alright, all set to go, let's move, people !" swiftly instructed Lori, and all followed her command just as swiftly.

All except one curious brunette.

"Lynn, what're you doing ? We're waiting for you !" called Lola.

The teen didn't answer, her eyes dead focused on the big snowball in front of her, easily Lucy's size. Apart from that, there was nothing special to it, but Lynn couldn't stop looking, simply mesmerised by its spherical form, that just begged to be rolled, or tossed, or kicked, or anything ! The possibilities made her back shiver with excitement...

Or perhaps it was just the snow that her roommate was dunking in her coat.

"YEEE !" Lynn jolted awake, and sent a dark glare to the goth. "A snap of the fingers would've been nice too !"

"But not as funny." monotonedly teased Lucy. The snowball she received in the nose barely got a reaction out of her.

"Lynn, we're going to check that area first. You can play your little game after." said Lori.

"But, but, but... But ball !" whine-pleaded Lynn.

But Lori put her foot down. "After !"

Lynn grumbled inaudible words, ones that she knew were better staying untranslatable both for the sake of her younger sibs' innocence, and the safety of her glove. But she relented nontheless and trudged forward, not without a displeased look plastered on her face.

"Fine, but it better not be a waste of time." she sourly grumbled.

* * *

"Wow, would you look at that ? A _complete_ waste of time !"

The Louds had come to another dead end, with nothing but eerie darkness to greet them over the cliff. But looking in the distance, the kids could see a lower level starting to form, indicated by the same pine trees they had been constantly seeing since passing the Ruins' doors.

The small area was far from empty though. Two wooden stations stood next to eachother, a wooden sign in between them, and both looking very similar to Doggo's, down to the little desk bells. Seeing those, Lori gently but firmly asked Leni to stay away from them. With guilt crossing her eyes, Leni bowed her head and pitifully nodded. Lily proceeded to 'kiss her boo-boos away', and she felt a little better.

The only difference that Lincoln could observe were two nameplates hammered on the front of the station, but they were rather confusing to say the least.

" _His_? _Hers_ ? What kind of names are those ?" wondered the sleuth, not delivering such a stellar performance on this case.

"Well duh, bro ! Two stations standing side to side, nameplates referring to eachother, and even little hearts engraved on them. It's obvious that whoever those two guards are, have it mad for eachother !" concluded Luna, ruffling her now embarrassed bro's hair

"Look at the detail of those hearts too ! So romantic..." swooned Lola.

"Almost asgood as the ones Bobby made for our three-month anniversary." mused Lori, then turned to give a smug smile. "I'm surprised that it didn't even cross your mind, what with you having a girlfriend of your own."

"Well sorry me and Ronnie-Anne don't exchange a heart-plagued declaration of love every waking hour !" exclaimed Lincoln, his expression morphing into a grouchy pout, one that made him look adorkable. "I AM NOT CUTE !" rebuked the cute snow-haired boy. "GAH ! I can't even win against the voices in my head !"

"That's one mind game you aren't gonna win !" cracked Luan.

The sisters laughed heartily, even Lynn, leaving Lincoln to roll his eyes with great irascibility, not bothering to retort. There were fights that you simply couldn't win, or at least ones that weren't worth the bother or the risk for things to grow worse.

"It's A-okay everybody ! Those stations are empty !" reported Lana, as her feet dangled from the left station, while Lucy's head poked out of the right one. Leni gave the poet an odd look, as she could've sworn she had been next to her just a second ago.

Lana jumped back on the ground, and approached the wooden sign. "Alright, let's see what we have here." she said, squinting her eyes. "Looks like some kind of list. ' _Snow smell – Snowman ; White Rating. Can become Yellow Rating._ '"

"Why would it turn yell- Oh that's just gross !" grossed out Lola.

"' _Unsuspicious smell – Puppy ; **BLUE Rating**. Smell of rolling around._ '"

"If there are dogs around that have a 'Yellow Rating', rolling around in the snow might not be such a good idea." snickered Lynn, feeling a bit peppier. Her grin widened as she pursued, "In fact, what if they have a Brown Rati-"

"WOULD YOU STOP IT WITH THE TOILET HUMOUR ?!" hollered Lola, her hands clasped over her earmuffs to stop any more potty-related facts from worming their way inside her mind.

"And the last one : ' _Weird Smell – Humans;_ **GREEN** _ **Rating**_ **.** _No more good dog, eliminate at all costs !_ '"

That last line let a little chill fall down the Louds' spines. It seemed that those guards were truly dead set on taking their SOULs, yet the big **WHY** still lingered. The thought certainly seemed to unnerve most of the kids, including Luna, until she noticed something about the sign her messy sis was reading.

"Hold on, why did they write ' **GREEN Rating** ' in red ?" she wondered.

"'Cause they're dogs !" said Lana, already knowing the answer.

"Indeed." Lisa pushed her glasses up her nose. "For you see, it is common knowledge that domestic canines have achromatopsia."

"What does looking for tops on the internet have to do with dogs ?" quipped Leni, desperately trying to work her inner hamster wheel around this new 13-lettered word. Lisa's long and tired sigh quickly indicated her that she wasn't doing a very good job at it.

"Achromatopsia, _ **Leni**_ , is when an individual's retinae is incapable of receiving colour pigments, thus rendering their vision in a black-and-white state." explained the little genius, trying and failing to hide her irritation for her sister's blatant lack of culture.

Leni's eyes widened with cold realisation. "That means all those times I asked Charles for the best colour to wear, he wasn't actually seeing anything ! Every treat I gave him was for a big fat lie ! Now I feel betrayed and very mad !"

"Would a hug help ?" said Lori, handing her Nurse Lily.

"Yes, it would, thank you !" said Leni in the same angry tone, and took her baby sister with the same big frown, that slowly melted under Lily's coos and nose boopings.

"Welp, unlike Lynn said, I think this wasn't a complete waste of time. We know that there's a couple of dog guards out there, and we've got a couple of informations about them." resumed Lincoln with a content smile, that turned into confusion when she felt Lynn's cheek press against his, quite litterally _pressing_ him to continue. So, he did. "And I guess that now we can go play Lynn's snowball game-"

"Last one to it is Dad's weird bunny tie !" cried out Lynn, before zooming ahead in a feat of speed that only she could accomplish.

"It's actually a hare, you ignoramus ! An grisly one, but a hare nontheless !" yelled Lisa as she ran along with her siblings, all eager to not _wear_ the personnally humiliating title.

* * *

"And I dub thee ' _Lincoln of the ugly white hare tie_ ' for the rest of the day." chortled Lynn as she mimicked a knighting ceremony with a branch found near one of the pine trees.

"No fair, Lana made me trip !" complained the sole brother.

"Underground rules, bro. I mean, you saw Lucy throwing snow at my face." said Lana, nonchalantly checking her nails.

"As if I was going to be affiled to a title that has _white_ in it." sassed the little goth.

"Aw, don't be such a Gloomy McGloompants about this. I mean hey, you already have _white hare_ !" Luan added her joke, messing with some of the hair that poked out of his brown winter cap.

Lincoln of the ugly- sorry, Lincoln crossed his arms with a big frown. "I'm cutting you out of my will. My comics will go to Clyde, and my coin collection to Lily."

"Aw c'mon Linky, it's just a name for a day, everybody will forget it soon." Leni comforted her bro with a gentle pat on the back. Three seconds later, her grin widened. "See ? I already don't remember what it was !"

This got a good chuckle out of Lincoln. As dimwitted she could be at times, there was just something in Leni that made you unable to dismiss her efforts to make you feel better. A description that wasn't far off from a certain new bare-boned face from today.

"Birds of a feather really flock together, don't they ?" murmured Lincoln to himself.

"Okay, are we doing this little ball game or what ?" pressed Lori, who had no intention to rain on her sister's fun, but still had her mind set on finding this Snowdin Town before it got dark. Well, darker anyway.

Lynn made a camera rectangle with her fingers, and scrutinised the field. Part of it had been cleared out of most of its snow, leaving only a light dusting of it. The layout consisted of a sharp turn to the right, a straight diagonal line in the middle, and a sharp turn to the left dredged with some ice. The course ended with a sizeable hole cut in the ground, obviously the end goal.

Lynn tested the other key element of said game by giving the ball a light kick. She watched as it rolled, bounced against the snowful area as if there was some kind of invisible wall, and then as soon as it stopped, slowly melted away. The moment it got too small and vanished, another one magically popped up in front of the sportaholic teen. "Alright, I think I've got it. All we gotta do is kick that ball all the way to that hole right over there. The ball always stay inside the zone, and if you leave it alone too long, it'll melt to nothing, and you're back to the Start Line."

"Sounds easy enough." nodded Lincoln, glad that Lynn hadn't added any of her rules into the mix like she would usually do. Seriously, who included bowling ball traps and trampolines to a Country Cross ?!

"Obviously, I get to go first. Gotta give you guys some benchmark to refer yourselves to." vaunted Lynn, not giving any mind to the many eye rolls she was awarded with. She first went through an obligatory series of warm-ups, then did one of her little good luck jigs. She didn't use them as often as she once did, before a certain incident that was better left where it now resided : A mere grim reminder buried in the Loud House collective mind's backyard. Finally, she put herself in position, and gave the gave the signal to Lisa and her chronometer.

"3, 2, 1... Begin !"

And Lynn was off like a hunting panther. Her years of football practice shone through her dexterity with keeping the rather large snowball to the tip of her feet at all time. She used the walls a couple of times to angle her shots, and shot the ball as soon as she came into range of the End Goal, making it soar through the air like a bullet, but stopping due to the hole's weird pulling force.

"And goal !" cried out Lynn, arms outstretched to the sides.

Lisa pressed the stopwatch button, and noted down the time. "11.2 seconds. A fair try."

The results weren't much good news to Lynn. "Really ? Geez, I'm getting a little out of practice. Or maybe it's because of all those fights we've been in today." Her proud grin came back. "But tired or not tired, let's see if you can beat that !"

Before any of them could respond, a little victory jingle rang from the hole, and to their evergrowing confusion, an orange flag emerged from it. Something seemed to be written on the flag itself, and got the better of Lynn's curiosity.

"'ORANGE. _You are the type of person who runs into the danger fists blazing, barrelling through every obstacle with nothing but your wits._ '"

Upon reading this, Lynn felt a tad weirded out. Did this game just read her, instead of the usual other way around ? But she was quick to shrug it off with a smile. Broadly speaking, it was pretty much her. Few were the problems she hadn't been able to resolve with her will and wits, and she certainly intended to keep it so.

Suddenly, a golden gleam from the orange pole caught her eye. "Wow, check it out ! This game gives you money if you finish it !" whooped Lynn, untying the five golden coins from the flagstaff. When it was done, the pole sunk back as swiftly as it had came out, and Lynn ran back to her siblings.

"How much gold is there in the Underground ? I swear, they give those coins away like they're made of chocolate !" Lincoln could only wonder. Oddly enough, the thought of Gold being replaced by chocolate for currency got a trickle of saliva out of him, without even the slightest idea why.

"This ball game is lucrative ?! Suddenly, it has _all_ my attention !" said Lola with a gormandizing grin. The prospect of easy riches was always worthy of her time.

"Hmm, maybe we should all give it a shot." proposed Lori as she added the small loot to their jingling purse. "Some pocket change could litterally help."

"Welp, looks like it's time to rock and _roll_ , eh Luna ?" Luan elbowed her rocking roommate.

"Thumbs down on that one, dude. It was weak, even for you." Luna denied the joke with a stern shake of the head, prompting a disappointed "aww" out of Luan.

"Ooh ooh, I go next !" said Lana with an excited wave of her arm. She dropped on all fours, and looked at the ball with the focus she'd give to a fresh puddle of mud.

Lisa's chronometer went off, and so did the little animal lover. Her dog run method was a little slower than Lynn – no surprise there – but still very effective, with a better control over the sharp turns. Seconds later, she gave one last nose push to the ball, and let it sink inside the hole.

"12 seconds, to the split hundredth of a second." announced Lisa.

"Aww, so close !" groaned Lana. Another orange flagpole appeared, but when she approached it, she found the contents to be a tad different.

"'ORANGE. _No matter what the obstacles are, you listen to your instinct and leap ahead, never stopping in your crazy run._ ' Wow, that's one perceptive flag !" acknowledged Lana, feeling her whole being warm up with this same conviction. She lost no time to get her own five Gold, and went back to the starting line.

"Now, it's our turn." said Lori, with Lily still secured in her arms.

"Why you ?" inquired Lola, all too eager to join in the game for some pieces of that gleaming metal she adored.

"There's something I want to test. Plus, I'm the oldest/leader, and she's the youngest/cutest. Pick your priviliege, princess." smirked the young woman. Lola could only glower at the happy baby in her sister's hands, silently vowing to one day take back this _Cutest Loud_ title from her. Soon...

"Alright Lily, here's how we're gonna do it. First, we aren't racing." Lily's expression gained confusion. "I know, I know, but if you want to participate, we can't do this fast. And you do want to play, don't you ?" Lily happily cooed in response. "I thought so. Now first, let me do the work."

Lori walked through the course with relative ease, not having the ruthless claw of time pressuring her into going faster, and thus making loads of dumb mistakes. If 's garden gnomes had still been here to testify, they'd certainly say that Lori's football performances were something of a myth, but not the good kind. Perhaps avoiding another embarassing episode was even the reason she was teaming up with Lily in the first place.

Once close enough from Point B, but not enough for the Ball to be sucked inside the hole, Lori sat Lily just before it, dwarfing the toddler by quite a lot. She happily began to tap and squish its surface, but her fun was interrupted by her big sis.

"Nonono, keep your hands off for a little bit, _then_ you can touch it." she explained. Lily wasn't too keen about this logic : If something that didn't give an ouchie was in her reach, why shouldn't she put her mitts all over it ? But despite that thought, Lily decided to obey. And it proved a fruitful decision, as her young mind marveled over the shrinking snowball. Three seconds later, the ball had reduced to her size, and three later still, it was now no bigger than one of the squeaky balls that filled her cot.

And this, she felt, was her cue. She gave the now lighter ball the mightiest push her little arms could deliver, enough to get it to destination. Applause and cheers from her siblings echoed around her, and the little tot couldn't be more proud of herself.

"Good shot, Lilster !"

"You certainly _snowed_ that ball who was the boss !"

"Yay Lily !"

Lori picked up the new little superstar, but kept her gaze on the hole as the same little jingle rang out. And as she expected, this time around, the result was more than a script change. Instead of a fierce orange, the flagpole emerged from the ground a serene cyan. Hard to say if this was a mere coincidence, but what she read on that flag were making certain puzzle pieces fit.

"' _Cyan_ _. Ever so slowly you guided, ever so often you waited. And when the opportunity was at its peak, you striked. And in the worst of times, you'll strike too._ '"

The words struck a chord inside the blonde's mind, a recent one at that. She looked at her baby sister, who looked back, her expression as neutral as hers. But Lily unleashed her ace up her parka's stuffy sleeves, with the demonstration of a Grade-A cuteness _Cheek squishing-Raspberry_ combo. Lori's inner focus broke, but for the better, she mused to herself.

What amused her a little less was the price for their performance. 4G, one less than her two daredevil sisters. As she walked back, she hoped that this number wouldn't dwindle through her other siblings' attempts, or it would mean more petty complaints she'd have to deal with.

"Even if it wasn't timed, that was a pretty good shot you gave there." commended Lynn.

"Thanks." simply replied Lori.

But of course, old habits died hard. "Though this gal is still ahead like always ! Woo ! Lynn Loud, Surface _and_ Underground Champion !" she banged her head to the sound of victory trumpets, ones that, as always, only she seemed to hear. Lori's eyes made an intense 360°, and Lily quite litteraly rained on her sister's parade with a disdainful raspberry.

"Alright, who next ?" said Lincoln.

"ME !" resonated the voices of two stage-lovers, their hands in the air. One stink eye later, the two locked noses with eachother, braces against glitter.

"I asked first." Lola growled menacingly.

"I don't see any tape backing up your case. And you've got quite the _record_ in lying." Luan pushed back.

"Oh, like _you_ never doublespeaked before. You and that glorified table leg you call your _soulmate_."

"YOU LIVE OUT OF THIS !"

"ENOUGH !" thundered Lori, immediately silencing the bickering duo. "You two have been at eachother's throats three times today, and it's getting on everyone's nerves, mine very included ! Did you forget what the first rule of our survival is ?" Silence. "Well ?!"

"No petty fighting, always talk it out." said Luan and Lola in an impressive imitation of their grimmish sister's monotone.

"Exactly." firmly nodded Lori. "And now, you two are going to play this Ball game together."

"What ?!"

"Why ?!"

"To teach you teamwork. And because it's funny." the blonde leader smugly admitted. Her aura was now back to her usual ' _Do me a favour, and nobody will know you did that Squirrel Dance_ ' level.

"Welp, two cute lovebirds if I've seen any." snickered Luna. To add on the ridicule, she began playing the Wedding March with her harmonica, drawing hysterical laughs from her siblings, while Lola and Luan could only watch with the most deadpan expressions they could muster.

"Well, if we are going to do this together, I suggest we at least bring some style to our performance. Something I know you can pull off." said Lola, her rather snobbish tone hiding the compliment she'd just made.

Luan certainly grew interested, tapping her chin with a cheeky grin. "I do try my best striving for originality. But how original are we talking about here ?"

Lola pulled Luan closer, and susurrated to her ear. Some were tempted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but Lola's sharp teeth and laser-like eyes quickly cured them. Thirty seconds, a whispered pun, and a slap on the back of the head later, the huddle of two dispatched itself. Both comedienne and princess nodded to eachother, and the latter ran ahead to take her place.

Luan placed herself before the Ball, inhaled a deep breath, and put on her best smile. The one that announced an imminent show. And of course, what would be a show including Luan without...

"Alright, let's _roll_ ! Luna !" she called to her surprised sister. "A little jig from the clover fields, please ?"

"You got it, _lassie_." said Luna with a grin of her own. Her harmonica soon rung of a little catchy tune that made all Louds' feet tingle with the sudden urge to dance. Luan obliged hers, and after skillfully punting the ball right on top of her head, she started hopping on one feet after the other, following the rhythm with awe-inspiring expertise.

"Woah, I thought the only dance Luan knew was that funny Duck Dance she always uses !" Lana clapped to the rhythm.

"Am I the only one craving for pop-corn right about now ?" snorted an amused Lincoln.

"I could do with some swollen maize myself." quipped Lisa.

"Make it extra bare for me." said Lucy with a slow, almost creepy lick of her lips.

Meanwhile, Luan felt she could dance hours to this music, but knew that wasn't an option. As such, it was time for Act 2 to begin. " _Irish_ I could continue, but I don't wanna press my _luck_. Get it ?" The sibs groaned in response, but the music did not stop. "Now, get ready to get your socks knocked off by the one who never wears any : my _Snake Shot_."

As the Ball touched the ground once more, Luan gave it a hearty kick, but from the tip of her heel only. What happened next was a tad... how to put this into words ?

"She is NOT breaking the laws of physics right in front of my person !" angrily hollered Lisa. Monsters and their quirks were still something her brain was having a hard time processing, but the thought of their weirdness spreading to her siblings was something the prodigy was not willing to put the effort into even conceive. And looking at the Ball slaloming down the path only rose those levels to new highs.

"Wow, I've never seen that kind of shoot before." whistled Lynn, then gained a pumped up tone. "She's got to teach me how to do that ! Those suckers from Hazeltucky will never see it coming !"

"It's slithering like a real snake too..." whimpered Leni. She had no problem with Lana's El Diablo, because she knew he was a nice reptile, and a hugger at that. But that didn't mean that she appreciated seeing a viper slithering through the wild grass. "Eeek, I think it just looked at me !"

Lola was just as surprised as the others to see the Ball move left and right like it had a mind of its own. She had heard the idea, sure, but she didn't expect for Luan to actually pull it off. Then again, there had been more than a few drenching buckets that had appeared out of nowhere to ruin her make-up, so what did she know ?

But none of that mattered right now. The Finale was near, and she was the star of it, the main actress. Also the only one. But all the better in the little spotlight-hogger's mind ! With the Ball closing in, Lola was in position, both boots on the small skating rink the course offered. The cue was perfectly received, and she readied herself. Time to make those tiring and often painful hours on the ice worthwile !

With a gracious spin, the ball was caught by Lola's pink boot. But the spinning didn't stop, oh no, it only got quicker from there. But the blonde spinning-top didn't move from her spot, not by a iota. Once enough speed had been gathered, Lola dared a jump, resulting in a spin that would've made more than a few skating pros go green with envy.

"Now those are skills you don't pick up just posing for the camera." commented Lori, thoroughly impressed with her little sister's performance.

"But will it pay off ?" said Lincoln, his inner narrator ( _The one he always had, not you-know-who_ ) working to build up the tension.

Finally, still airborne and at the precise time, Lola lowered the tip of her boot ever so slightly, and freed the Ball from her own little cyclone. The ball whizzed through the air, yet fell like a rock once above the hole. As the victory jingle played out, Lola fell right back on her feet, but promptly plopped back on her tushie, waiting for the world to stop spinning. In the meantime, Luan turned with an expectant look to her pear-clad sister.

"...12 seconds, 7 tenths, 7 hundredths." said Lisa, shaking her head. "I fear that the Gold remains out of your reach."

"YES !" bellowed Lynn, before calming down under the looks she received, reminding her of certain board game incidents. A little more, and she would have broken down her infamous ' _chicken dinner'_ dance. "I mean, good try you two, good try."

"Don't patronize me ! Bronze is for the second loser !" woozily asserted Lola, before falling flat on her back with a sick groan. Luan went to retrive her, with a few good pokes in the stomach area first, just to be sure her cheese-coloured clothes wouldn't get the smell that came with it.

But before they could depart, the flagpole rose, this time a deep blue that felt so familiar to the both of them. That feeling, plus the thought of their gleaming reward, pushed them to creep closer to it.

"' **Blue** **.** _Your originality carried you to success, and through it, you can see the world through many eyes and eyesockets unknown._ '"

Lola and Luan blinked owlishly at the description. More than their performance, it seemed that this flag could read in their very existences, they were now sure of it. But far from being insulted, they felt quite, well, proud of what was written here.

 _But though eyesockets was pretty clear, what could it mean by 'through **many** eyes' ?..._

Lola had a better question though. " _Three_ Gold coins each ?! I deserve an award for my axel alone !" she raged.

"I guess our perfomance was out of boundaries. After all, crime doesn't pay !" guffawed Luan, once again seeing the glass half-full. Seeing her sister's growing annoyance however, her features softened. "But hey, we don't have to be ashamed for what we did, right ? They certainly don't seem to be." she gestured to her clapping siblings.

Lola's moody expression improved consequently, and got her confidence-oozing smile back from its break. "Well, numbers speak for themselves. And I do prefer a living crowd to a cheapstake flag."

"That's one _pole_ we won !" added Luan with an exagerated wink, that she was finding herself to fancy more and more as the day went on.

As soon as they returned, the Louds' local modern minstrel threw her arms around her sisters' shoulders. "Y'know, that flag's got the right idea. You didn't get fastest, but presentation-wise, you two were the big shots for sure." said Luna encouragingly Both warmly smiled, letting the fuzzy feeling take a gentle hold of their hearts, but the sudden movement did give another unwelcome feeling to the green-faced blonde.

"Can I go next ?! Pleaaase~ ?" asked Leni with the most compelling large-pupiled look she could give, one that all could do nothing but melt under it.

"Hey, no need to resort to that !" cringed Lori, shielding her eyes from her sister's hypnotic stare of supreme pity. "Fine, you can go next !"

"Yay !" chirped the ditzy teen, prancing on her way to the starting line.

"If one day she gets smart enough to weaponize that look, we are litterally all doomed." said Lori, rubbing her brow.

Lucy wrinkled her nose. "Please don't give her any idea."

"Ready~ !" said Leni, waving as though she was an elementary pupil finding her parents in the crowd while on stage. Strange thing for a sixteen-year old to do, but common when you knew her right.

"Blissful are the ignorants." said Lisa. "3, 2, 1... GO !"

Leni departed at a comfortable pace, not wanting to bother or hurt the Ball she was carefully carrying. _Wait..._

"What the- LENI ! You're supposed to push it with your feet ! This is the kind of foul play that nails your butt to the substitutes' bench !" called Lynn, almost aghast to have such blatant foul play happening before her eyes. Sure, she had quite the record for fouls herself, but they'd been mostly thrown at her for rough play, something she could sort of gloat about with the team after the match. This was just _tragic_ to watch.

But Leni wasn't moved by Lynn's logic, and simply answered, "I don't see anything that says that I have to."

Lynn almost choked in bewilderement. She had known her fill of Leni-graded naivety, but this felt like a whole new level. "B-B-But that's because it's ultra obvious ! Everybody moved it with their feet, except Lily, but that's because she's a baby ! You saw them, dang it !" she pressed on vehemently.

"Exactly. You've all been kicking at those snowballs, not even stopping to ask yourself if they have feelings like the rocks we met in the Ruins, or that nice Snowman from earlier." Leni pointed out, earning flabbegastered looks from the siblings, who began considering the matter, but were in shock that Leni was the one bringing up such a thing. "Well, this one is going home without a single kick to hurt him. Or her."

As Leni resumed her trek, Lana could only wonder. "They... don't have feelings, right ?" she asked, more so to herself than to her siblings.

"If they do, they're really good at hiding them." answered Lincoln, he and his _mindmate_ standing just as confused as the little blonde currently was.

"How did she even come up with that stuff anyway ?" queried Lola, her brain rattling with questions. One of them being if she should stick up a note to the Ball to apologize kicking them in the face, and another to wonder what stars had aligned for her to end up asking herself that improbable question.

"There is always more than meets the eye, even with someone like Leni." quipped Lucy, her voice dry yet dripping with wisdom. "Who knows what enigmas her mind is currently deciphering ?"

' _If we lived in a world made of water, would dry be like a reverse wet ?_ '

Such question would never find an answer, nor did it ever needed to. So Leni simply went back to hum that catchy tune from that super nice story about that boy and his friend snowman. She'd always sleep through the end, lulled by the melody. It had to be a great end, seeing how her siblings would always be crying when she'd wake up.

Her destination coming into view, Leni hurried her pace, and before she knew it, found herself before the end of her quest. The Ball was delicately put on the floor, and came the time to end this 15-second trek.

"Well, I guess this is good-bye." said Leni, a pinch of hesitation in her voice.

"..."

Despite the lack of response, Leni's eyes welled up. "I totes understand. I mean, I have my home to go back to, and... you have yours. I just hope that my sisters' kicks didn't hurt too much."

"..."

"You don't feel them ? At all ?"

"..."

"Wow, I didn't know that !"

"I don't know. It dearly costs me to admit it, but I just don't have the faintest grasp of what's going on." Lisa answered to the eighteen expectant pairs of eyes she could feel boring into her skull.

"Okay, now's the time to say good-bye, for real." said Leni, hand on her heart. But before fulfilling her quest, one shy question was yet to be answered. "You won't forget me, will you ?"

"... … …"

But despite the lasting, discrediting silence that hung in the air, it seemed that Leni's silly action had been judged a tad too quickly. It was with that thought in mind that the siblings' jaws collectively hit the floor, as they watched the Ball twitching from left to right and vice-versa; basically **shaking** its head.

Leni's reaction was a simple pat on top of her friend's round form, and a push to make it tumble inside the hole. She wistfully sighed. It was done. This bizzare yet emotion-packing small adventure was over...

The moment was thoroughly broken by the jingle that preceded the flagpole's appearance, coloured up in a luxurious green this time around. The colour alone carried a familiar sense of serenity to the teen, pushing her to find out if the writing onto it carried something similar.

"' **Green.** _Your concern and care for Ball brought you a beautiful victory. Talent and predispositions help, but if the will to try and do better are not there, never can you be Great. That, you knew._ '"

Confusion spread across Leni's face at first, but was quickly replaced by her natural smile. For a reason she couldn't quite place, her heart had been swelling when she'd set her eyes on that G-word. A dashing skeleton appeared in her mind, as did the hope to catch his look. To her, this was what the idea this flagpole was supporting, as long as she kept that positive mindset.

Leni's conclusion : Signs in the Underground were really nice !

Next to the flag flapped a lone gleaming piece of gold attached to a string. This was the lowest reward given thus far, but Leni didn't care. In fact, she felt that this one Gold was more precious on a personal level than all the coins they had gathered thus far. And reflecting against its surface was the flag's luxurious hue.

 _Glistening as bright as her own SOUL, she could tell._

Leni skipped back to her siblings, who had several questions about the events that had transpired during the last minute. But when they saw their sister's giddiness as she dropped her Gold inside Lori's bag, they decided to set it aside. Just one more mystery to add to the Loud House record. Right between the missing bowl of candies of Halloween '10, and the secret ingredient to Lincoln's Cheese Soufflé. _Seriously, wars were fought over the latter._

"Well, I believe that it is my turn to act." said Lisa, passing her stopwatch to her purple-clad sister.

"You're sure about that, dudette ? It's a mighty big ball, and you ain't too mighty on the physical department."

"Ha, please ! All the 'mightiness' I need is much more compact than simple girth, and a whole lot more useful." snorted Lisa, a sole glint rippling across the surface of her glasses. With upmost confidence in her step, she went to stand by the Ball, shaking her head in amusement. Really, what could be so daunting about a game so simple, her roommate could easily grasp its rules ?

Then, Lisa opened her eyes, and her smile went for a nice crash course to the bottom of her cheeks. Her eyelids furrowed in annoyance as she heard her fellow humans' snickering in the background. Oh, they had to be so _amused_ by the fact that her whole body stood shrouded in the Ball's shadow, and that it was nearly twice her size.

"We told you it was no _small_ task ! In fact, I'd say it's a pretty _tall_ order !" cracked Luan, doubling the laughing power around her.

"Preying over the weak and powerless. Typical." grumbled Lisa.

"Do you need a push or something ?" asked Leni, looking confused when she saw the others laughing even harder. "What ? What did I say ?"

"So, what's it gonna be, Einstein Jr. ? How is your big brain going to go around this bigger problem ?" teased Lynn with a growing smile.

A chord had been struck in Lisa's mind, the touchiest of all. Her genius was being... _doubted !_ After all those tutouring sessions and the scientific **miracles** she accomplished, they dared casting even the tiniest shadow of doubt onto her brilliance ?!

Lisa regained her calm, but this one glowed of its willful core. _It seemed that a reminder was in severe order here._

Measuring tape in hand, Lisa went to work over the Ball, taking every useful measure. By the time the siblings shared a collective blink, she was already finished, and laid knees deep into the snow as she swiftly wrote calculations and variables in the powder, ones that, the others knew, would give them a headache just by looking at it.

"Wow, looks like we motivated her good. I can almost hear the gears turning in her head !" commented Lana, impressed by her usually calm and calculating sister's burst of energy.

"In Lisa's case, it would be more like the whirring of a supercomputer or two." said Lori as she scratched her chin. "What kind of gadget or ultra-complicated mathematic formula is she gonna use this time ?"

No one could properly answer, but as she observed the outlines the little genius was drawing around her mish-mash of numbers and letters, a certain detail did catch Luan's attention. "I think I see a... circus tent ?"

"How does that, like, add to anything ?" asked Leni. The blonde had no idea that she had once again tickled her sister's funny bone.

"We did say she'd have _big shoes_ to fill ! Haha, get it ?"

The siblings would have groaned, if not for Lisa's sudden back straightening. "I have finished my calculations." she announced with upmost seriousness, faltering a bit when she gave an awkward cough. "However, I still have no means to access the top of the rotating sphere. Could one of you be of assistance... please ?"

"So much for that." Lincoln mused, before going to his sister's help. A relatively easy task, as it wasn't Lisa's first time where she needed to reach a high shelf. Most of the time, back home, she had her trusty portable stool and portable stepladder, but they could only help so much. There had been the idea of building a personal jetpack, but... _yeah, let's just leave it at that_.

Once she'd successfully made it to the top, Lisa thanked Lincoln, both for the assistance and the lack of a side-comment to rise some more levity at her expense. She spared the course one last analytic glance, checked her balance, and finally enacted her well-crafted plan. One that resulted of careful measuring of a sphere radius, breaking down the average number of flaws that the path could hold, and of course determining the frequency her lower limbs would have to be put in forward motion to achieve the optimum pace, that would guarantee her the victory she was destin- no, the victory she had the _mathematic certainty_ of.

Lisa pressed on forth, making it through the first turn on both her carrier and what she needed to carry to the end. Everything was going smoothly, and the little genius could only revel in her delusions of grandeur. So much so that she didn't hear Luan as she slapped her forehead in realisation.

"Oooh, that kind of circus act ! A well- _rounded_ plan if I've ever seen one !" laughed the comedienne, watching with swelling pride at her usually dry and serious sister being quite litterally, _on a roll_. (* _Rimshot_ *)

"So after all that math stuff, she went with something even I could have thought about ?" said Lynn, her brow knitting in confusion, then slowly unravelled in a brief moment of clarity. "Huh, that's kinda genius on its own. Meh, not like it's gonna help her win anyway." she shrugged with a confident gaze on the timer.

"Flaws in her height, she rolls through despite it all. But at the end of her path, only waits the darkest hole." recited Lucy, blackening the pages of her poem book.

"Lisa ! Zoom, zoom !" babbled Lily, putting all of her heart in cheering for her super smart roommate. That, and she really wanted a turn on it next.

Those simplistic words were the only ones that managed their way to the prodigy's ears, making her ego and thirst for success overwhelm all her senses. But having cleared the second turn, she could certainly allow herself to lower her guard. All that remained between her and the Goal was a perfectly straight line. Lisa smirked. She dared anyone to find a better analogy for 'Child's play'.

But at only three rolls away from destination, a thought pierced through Lisa's self-assured facade like an arrow coated with icy awareness. Going over all of her sketches and careful planning, she suddenly noticed the minuscule, but oh so crucial detail missing from her plan.

 _ **The brakes !**_

"It's always the tiniest drop of sulphide missing that creates the largest explosions." were Lisa's famous last words, before the Ball abruptly stopped and catapulted her off it, and after a couple of nausea-inducing pirouettes, landed her face-first in the snow. A habit she was finding herself despising a little more with every occurence.

"Okay, I know I said I would be saving battery, but this is litteraly scrapbook material right there !" said Lori in near hysterics, replaying the small feed of Lisa's shrieking flight over and over. She could feel Lily's judging stare creeping down her neck, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Looks like snow itself is taking its sweet revenge against Lisa now." said Lola, stiffling a cackle of her own.

"The road to redemption is full of cracks and rocks, sis." Lana nodded with a wistful tone, wind in her pigtails. All of which lasted all of 3.2 seconds, before bursting out into laughter. "And in Lisa's case, it's gonna be full of hilarious falls flat on the face !"

Lisa grumbled and muttered profanities in multiple dead dialects as she helped herself back up. So much for proving the superiority of science; she had instead made an absolute fool of herself. Honestly, with all that had happened today, she wondered... Was this place placing a curse on her or something ? Just because she couldn't accept magic as the easy fix-it solution, that had for sole silly explanation its very name ?

Lisa pinched her brow with great frustration. "And now, I'm even starting to believe in _curses_. Because that worked out so well last time."

But Lisa's woes were put to rest when she heard the little jingle, acknowledging the fact that she had still brought the Ball all the way to the hole. It was a hazy and cack-handed victory, admittedly, but a victory nontheless.

This time around, the rising flagpole held a rich purple colour. It felt somewhat cryptic to Lisa, but in an endearing way, like with one of those 81-faced Rubik's Cubes she'd play with between two experiments, to keep her brain sharp and alert. With high hopes hidden behind a mere raised eyebrow, Lisa decided to see what strange message the flag had to offer.

"' _ **Purple.** Weighed down by your weaknesses, you used your strengths the best you could, took notes and adapted your way to success. Quick and thirsty to learn, you might just learn it from where you expect it the least._ '"

Now _there_ was a snag, Lisa thought once done with her reading. Surprises weren't exactly on her agenda or daily list. Just the fact that most of her days would strictly go by those two elements showed how much she wasn't fond of surprises. Chemistry, math, biology; all of the things she _was_ fond of, didn't fare too well with surprise, luck, and other wild variables. As for coming from an external source, surprises back in her lab meant soiled nappies, a sudden window-breaking riff in the corridor, a cream pie right in the facial area, or a football plowing through test tubes, resulting in her room being painted in colours yet to be referenced.

But looking at those words again, Lisa began to look at it differently. While exactitude was something preferred amongst scientists, boldness had been a rather important factor to make science what it was today, especially back then. Inventions of all types had come from the need to improve life, but also from the desire to constantly go further, in ways that hadn't been thought of before. After all, Johannes Gutenberg didn't open his eyes for the first time thinking that it would be pretty neat to be able to spread copies of enlightening writings without having to write them all by hand.

Presently, surprises and discoveries hadn't been too kind to Lisa or her beliefs. But on a more social level, it had certainly been going a fairer way. The friendliness those monsters deployed under their odd behaviours had been a welcome enjoyement, especially with a certain caretaker. All of this reminded her of her own first friendship experience with Darcy. She had certainly learned a lot from someone that had barely anything in common with her and who, prior to her grades being in danger, she would have never interracted with further than a casual greeting when entering the classroom.

"Hmm, never thought I would be quoting Leni of all people, but hey, stranger things have happened in the last hour alone." concluded Lisa with a shrug, then looked up to the purple pole, and nodded her head at it. "Thank you kindly, sign." With that said, she collected her own loot, consisting of only two Gold, and trudged back to her sisters with a slightly broader mind. A feeling she always savoured.

"Alright, make way dudes and dudettes, 'cause my cue's up !" Luna said with a rollicking fist pump. "Normally I'd go solo, but if I wanna win this thing, I'm gonna need some help. And there's only one spooky duchess who can pull this schtick off."

Her siblings looked very confused by the musician's statement, with the concerned party even more so. "Um, why me ? I don't see how I'll be helpful." monotoned Lucy with a raised brow (?).

Luna's grin didn't falter nor did it twitch. She hunched to Lucy's level, cupped her hands against her dark grey hood, and whispered her rockin' plan. From Lucy's expression however, it didn't look all that synched up.

"I know I'm not as loud as you guys, but this is getting plain ridiculous. I do NOT telep-"

"It doesn't matter how you do it !" interrupted Luna. "You're still a whole lot more sly and quick on your dogs when nobody can see you, am I right ?"

"Pretty much. The feeling of being forgotten is the one I associate with the most." said the black-haired girl with an even tone. She suddenly felt her face being squeezed by her sister's arms wraping around her head. "What are you doing ?"

Luna realised what she was doing, and untangled Lucy from her surprise hug. "Sorry sis, my mind kinda went blank, and it felt like the right thing to do." She banished the pink in her cheeks with a clearing of her throat. "Anyway, ready to rock ?" Lucy shrugged, bizzarely making the sound of opening a dusty old wardrobe. "Good enough for me !"

The sibs watched as their purple-clad sister put herself before the Ball, and adressed a thumbs up to the stoic poet, who didn't budge a muscle to even acknowledge the gesture. Lisa gave the depart signal, and Luna was off, her feet juggling the ball with semi-expertise. While not her passion, football was a nice way to unwind in her book; as long as Lynn didn't get too competitive of course.

Nothing noteworthy so far, the siblings noted. But it was when she attained the first turn that Luna's grand plan unfurled. A mighty shoot sent the Ball through the path with acute precision, not coming close to the walls for a single second. But Luna's focus wasn't on the Ball anymore. And neither would her siblings' in a second.

"Blimey, look at that ! A distraction ! Coated in sweet chocolate !"

Reactions were immediate once the sweet was named, even from Lincoln for some reason, and the pack was quick to whip their heads around to see what Luna was pointing at. Of course, their gazes all met the same high and dark ceiling. The urge to facepalm rose sharply. They felt almost ashamed for getting fooled by this gag as old as the hills, save for Lily and Leni, who kept looking for whatever chocolate bird their sister had spotted.

When they all turned back, they suddenly noticed someone missing. Incidentally, the one they often didn't see disappearing. "Uh, where did Lucy go ?" asked Lynn, scratching her scalp in confusion.

Leni, getting over the disappointement of not finding that chocolate chicken, was quick to spot a familiar concentration of grey and black ahead. "There she is ! She teleported all the way over there !" she pointed.

" _Grooooan._ " Lucy audibly expressed her mood. Once they'd get back home, she would pour into Grandma Harriet's book to see if there was something about hammering an idea inside people's heads. Figuratively or literally, she didn't care at this point.

But the fact was, Lucy was now standing in the Ball's path, having somehow moved faster than it, and without any tracks in the snow to indicate the path she had taken. The Ball, about her size, kept snowballing a little too fast, yet she kept her position, thoroughly unimpressed. Icy cold and chills weren't a problem to her, and neither was getting rolled over on a whim from a force of nature; though the one she was used to carried the smell of sweat and meatballs.

But the child was ready to retaliate this time. In one tug, she wrapped the lower part of her hood around her body, making it look like the cape of a Transylvanian count, if you caught her drift. This seemed like an odd move, but not odder than what happened next. Because upon reaching Lucy, instead of crashing into her with a mighty and humourous _splat_ , it began slowly circling around her. It was as if a mystical force was both pushing the Ball away from Lucy's form, yet magnetizing the sphere to go around her, like a dog proudly parading around its master.

"Wow, so mystical. It's kinda impressive ! And freaky too..." gulped Lola, remembering the big laugh she had given as answer to Lucy's threats to turn her hair into hissing snakes. The expression ' _taming her wild hair_ ' would go to a level she didn't even want to imagine.

Lisa snorted at the pageant queen's naivety. "Please. What you see here is nothing but a sham."

"After everything we've been through, you still discard magic as fake ?" said Lincoln with an inquisitive brow.

"Negatory, as I have indeed learned to not jump to conclusions when it came to the thoroughly unexplored field of research that is... _magic_." She still had a little trouble getting that word out normally. She regained her composure soon enough. "No, the reason I qualify this performance as a sham, is because I can see one of her feet sticking out to monitor the rotation. I admit it is commendable for her to be able to keep the rotation perfectly circular, but I wouldn't call it _mystical_." she analysed with a smuggish tone.

"Then, how is her foot turning around her without stopping ?" inquired Lana, her curiosity not yet put to rest.

Lisa's eyes flew open, and gazed at the creepy ability. But instead of her jaw plummeting to the ground, Lisa merely groaned. "I can't even be allowed to win once, can I, Underground ?"

Lori patted her wild brown scalp. "With all the times you've been right, I'm sure you can take a couple of blows."

"The number referenced by the term 'couple' has been crossed since day one, dear sistriach. The correct term is one that shouldn't be pronounced in the presence of such young ears."

Right on cue, Lily went to hug the side of her youngest older sister. Lisa, feeling wagged out, wordlessly passed an arm around her little hooded head.

Feeling that two laps around her was enough, Lucy released the Ball from her power, and let it slide straight to the hole. To the suprise of nobody, it made no sound doing so. What did make a sound however, was the victory tune, and the slithering sound of the flagpole rising. And its colour soured the little goth's mood a little more.

"Really ? _Yellow_ _ **again ?**_ " she dryly vented. Her fists were slightly clenched and the edges of her lips were down by about half an inch lower than usual. Which was the equivalent of say, Lola's high-pitched yell of wrath, or Luna's tone going from cool to subzero. But Lucy knew better than start picking fights with inanimate objects, and merely uttered a sigh. "At this point, I'd settle for dark purple..."

"Take them as they come, sis. Take them as they come." Luna keenly nodded, standing by her sister's side.

Not seeing any non-headache-worthy alternative, Lucy recluantly obliged, and joined Luna to see what reading of their actions and futures the mysterious flagpole was delivering this time.

"'Yellow _. Your fine accuracy brought order to this wild course. Your forthright words whizz and cut through chaos and despair alike, and whether it is under a bright spotlight or by a dim shy glow, you shine for what is right._ '"

"Wow, it's even written as a poem." remarked Lucy, feeling a little speechless. Both for the poetic effort, and the philosophy behind it. Not to mention the cozy feeling that came from that ' _dim shy glow_ ' mention. "And the message behind it is, dare I say, delightfully cryptic."

"It's pretty accurate, I'll give it that." chuckled Luna, not sure if the flag even knew that of all the chaos the Loud kids could offer, she was noisiest.

"Are you pulling a Luan now ?"

"Maybe~ ?"

" _Sigh._ Why was I bound to suffer those puns ?"

"Because you love us, little dudette. More than life itself, even though we're all mad. Now let's collect the dough, and see what's next on the list."

The rhyme-loving duo quickly collected their dues of 3G each, and made their way back to their siblings. Lisa gave her stopwatch a look, and announced the result.

"Your time is estimated at... 12 seconds, just like Lana."

"Dang it/Bogus !" cried the two. Meanwhile, Lynn was doing her best to keep her yells of victory to herself, but she didn't fool anybody. Especially when her legs were imitating Luan's Irish jig from earlier.

"Alright, seems we're done here, so let's continue." said Lori. She took a confident first step, but kept it at that when she heard the raspy of a throat being cleared. She turned to find the responsible to be Lincoln,. He had his arms crossed, and a flat expression that held its share of impatience.

Lori raised an eyebrow. "What's with the frowny face ?"

"Are you sure you aren't forgetting something ?" said the white-haired boy, his foot hitting the ground with an annoyed tempo.

The blonde stood there for a moment, wondering what ever could be the problem. Lucy was right next to them, so that couldn't be what she was forgetting. And they all had their turn with the game-

"Ah. You want to participate ?" tried Lori. Surprise crossed her face when her brother nodded. "Really ? Litteraly, no joke ?"

"Why would I be joking with this ?" inquired Lincoln, a little unnerved by all the owlish looks he was receiving from his sisters, like he had suddenly grown a third eye.

"But you hate football !" exclaimed Lola, wondering how much weirder this day could be get. "Every time Lynn asks you to do some passes, we can hear your groan of dismay from the Mall. You know, on the other side of town !"

"So ? You hate football too. So do Lucy and Lisa." countered Lincoln. "What was _your_ reason of doing it ?"

"Cash, obviously !"

"Luna asked me. Gold sounded nice too."

"To add a little bit of inellectual work to this primal sport. And cash."

Lincoln offered a smug grin to all around. "Well there you have it. _I_ don't want to be left out of the competition, and I want some Gold."

Lynn couldn't fight back a snort upon hearing her brother's claim. "Because you wanna get into the competition too ? I mean, you and sport competitions hasn't exactly been a mix that spells winning."

"Well duh ! Competition doesn't start with a 'w', and sport's got nothing to do with spelling bee events !" cut in Leni with a cocky tone, a rather rare sight.

"And the worst thing is, we can't say she's wrong." sighed Lana with a roll of her eyes.

"Anyhow, my mind is made." asserted Lincoln. "I know I don't have a speck of talent in those, and my chances of winning are microscopic, but if there's one thing I don't lack of, it's the will to try !" His enthusiasm brought a kinder smile to her athletic sister's visage.

"Now that's what I wanna hear. If only you had that attitude back home, instead of trying to weasel your way out of my activities. Maybe that weird guy or gal inside your head is changing you for the better." said Lynn as she gave her bro's head a little knock. A spike of annoyance rose inside Lincoln's mind, and only a quarter of it was his.

"Well go for it, li'l bro ! Go make us another Winter tale !" encouraged Luna, playfully ruffling her bro's hair.

This little bit of support was exactly what Lincoln needed to put some vigor in his step. As he looked at the Ball, his imagination went wild. What if his performance could unlock some secret message ? Maybe some secret item that could be useful for their quests ? What if he won, and finally had something to counter-gloat Lynn ? Oh yeah, he liked the sound of that last one. He liked it very much...

" _Lincoln_ , we're burning daylight here ! Stop drooling, and start kicking !" shouted Lola.

Once his heart stopped its intense drumming from the sudden wake-up call, the sole brother prepared himself. He tried mimicking the pose Lynn would take on the starting line, but it ended up looking more like a broken wheelbarrow than anything else. Lincoln's cheeks flared up. He had no idea how athletes did it ! Do they actually train on those poses too ?

But enough questions. _Time for action !_

Lisa hit the button, and Lincoln was off a... weird start. The Ball, that had been steady and rolling exactly where the sisters wanted to when kicking it, suddenly decided to go through its rebellious phase. Every time Lincoln tried to kick it straight, the Ball would bend its path, go completely to the right or left, or simply rolled a few inches forward. Adding to that Lincoln's own record in kicking, which was pretty much the same than his oldest sister's, and it was quite the show to witness.

"Wow, I knew it wasn't stellar, but was he always that bad ?" commented Luan, to which Lynn nodded.

"Pretty much. He's good with his hands, and he's got mad skills as a goalie, no question asked. But yeah, when it comes to kick the ball, he just doesn't know how to do it. It's like his feet suddenly get painted with grease, or he angered some ball God." Lynn shook her head. "I'm giving him my best training, and he's getting better. But it's still embarassing to watch. And funny." she finished with a snicker.

"That Ball's so mean with Linky ! Nothing like Simon." Leni crossed her arms.

Lori cocked an eyebrow. "Simon ?"

"Simon the Snowball, duh !" beamed the fashionista.

"Weird to say, but I think Leni's got a point." said Lana, wincing at her bro crashing on his back after missing another shoot. "I think it just dodged Lincoln's foot just there !"

But despite the Ball apparently being against him and his annoyance swelling, Lincoln's will didn't deflate. Bit by bit, he managed to get the Ball through the middle of the course. He knew his time was up at this point, but he at least wanted to see what flag _he_ would get, even if it was one which said that he sucked at this. A participation award was still an award, and one that he hoped, came with some Gold to help the cause.

"Okay, I'm down to the last stretch, just gotta give it one last kick." he assured himself, taking a calming breath. "Just one last kick... just one last kick... just one- OH COME ON !" he shouted. Lincoln considered himself a rather patient guy, a virtue that came from having so many sisters, each with a different mindset to understand and work with or his way around. But when a **BALL** was the one avoiding him, without giving any clear reason as to why, Lincoln believed he had found his limit.

But... Lincoln took another deep breath. Everything was alright. He had met with resistance before, and from many more opponents. He just needed a plan, even if it was one made on the fly.

Wait... that was it ! Plan memories coming back ! Giving the twins a bath three years ago !

Lincoln sighed in defeat, and turned around with a shake of his shoulders. "I guess it can't be helped. You win, Ball. I mean, who am I to say if you need to get in that hole or not. You're totally free to-"

Lincoln cut himself short as he pounced towards the unsuspecting sphere with a triumphant "AHA !". But, as Leni had proved earlier, the Ball was more intelligent than it was first given credit for. And it proved it once more, by side-rolling just enough to dodge the flying tween, making him end his soaring trip right by the hole. But he didn't just drop in front of it. It seemed that somehow, its magnetic attraction for snow was accompanied by a magnetic repulsion for humans. And his sisters saw just that when he crashed into an invisible column with an audible _Smack_!

"Oooh, that's gonna leave some marks in the morning !" winced Lana.

"Wait, didn't Lisa fly _above_ the hole ?" noted Lynn. "Geez, this game really has something against him."

"Is he okay though ?" inquired Lola, looking with a rare bout of concern at the heap that was now her brother laying on the floor. Then she saw a twitch rippling his foot awake, and she let out a sigh of relief, that she immediately tried to hide with a cough. She had some pride to keep after all.

"If nobody minds, I'm going to lay down for a hour or two..." groaned Lincoln, finding the hard ground to be suprisingly welcoming and warm...

* _Ball game, rule #3 : Ball accepts patience, but is itself impatient. Let fate get the best of you, and it just might be Game Over._

Lincoln stopped kissing the ground as soon as he heard those words; out of confusion at first, he quickly realised what his mindmate meant. Whipping his head, he saw the quickly dwindling snowball, and almost cursed. Well, what little bad words he actually knew anyway. He tried getting back on his feet, but his mind, still numb from the shock, ordered his legs to meet up to plan the situation at hand, as well as for his hands to meet to discuss the problem afoot. This of course resulted in Lincoln crashing down on his face, and nullifying any chance he had to get to the Ball in time before it disappeared.

Lincoln had failed. He had let a bigger force get the better of him. He hadn't accomplished what even his baby sister had managed to do.

 _Lincoln had lost the game of **Ball**._

The boy did not look up just yet when he felt a warm hand landing on his shoulder. He just needed that small moment to contemplate that loss, to understand it, to see what lesson he was supposed to learn here. But the hand insisted with a little shake, and Lincoln obeyed its command; he looked up and found his ten sisters looking at him with mixed looks, some weird, other stoical, and the ones he disliked the most, _pitiful_.

"Are you okay ? Like, do Lily need to intervene ?" offered the concerned Leni, brandishing Lily and her magic lips forward. But Lincoln turned her down with a shake of his hand. He appreciated the gesture, but he doubted those kisses could heal the massive blow his ego had just received.

"Um, you certainly tried your... best, bro. Don't be too- **Don't** be ashamed of what you just did." Lynn carefully articulated, her voice straining to keep boasting marbles from rolling up her throat and down her tongue. Even she knew better than to kick a man while he was down, especially if it was her little brother.

Lincoln answered with an almost mournful silence, his face devoid of any emotion. That, perhaps, was the most worrisome detail of all. No tear, no anger, no fake little smile to assure everything was alright. Just a pure concentrate of black defeat.

' _Gosh, this is Lucy on a monday kind of gloomy !_ ' thought Lori, feeling that it was her time to step up. She added her own hand on her little bro's shoulder, and said, "Lincoln, it's okay. It just, doesn't work sometimes. After all, your plans didn't always end up on a high note. And hey, at least we didn't cover our living room with paintball ammo, right ?" she chuckled, hoping to get the same reaction from Lincoln.

His lips elevated themselves into a weak smile. Not what she was going for, but a step in the right direction nontheless. Lori gave him a kind smile, then pointed a finger ahead. "Alright everybody, time to move out. Let's see what-"

"WAIT !" bellowed Lincoln, springing out of his gloom like the moment one would finally realise how stupid swallowing a ration of wasabi for his friend's sushis really was. "Lori, I want another try at this !"

"You can't do that ! It's one try per person only !" nagged Lola, all too eager to get going.

"But I'm the only one who didn't get anything !" insisted Lincoln.

"Regrettable, but winning this game doesn't halt the furthering of our quest, nor does it place our lives in any particular danger, and our common capital is high enough. As such, there is no real reason for us to trouble ourselves with this activity any longer." flatly analysed Lisa, even though she did feel a little bad for her brother.

"Yeah, no need to dedicate your _hole_ life to it !" cracked Luan, renewing groans around her.

Lincoln felt a pang of sadness hearing the dismissive and apologetic chatter of his sisters, and for an instant, thought of just accepting his loss and move on. But as soon as he did, his whole body heated up, and made kindling out of the idea altogether, replacing it with burning resolve. Swifly, his gaze locked with his oldest sister's, who was surprised by the power it seemed to hold.

"Lori, I want to try again. I know it doesn't seem important, but it is for me. There is something I have to find out, something I have to prove here."

"Lincoln, you don't have to prove anything-"

"I feel it in my SOUL, Lori !" interrupted Lincoln. "It's calling me to do it. Y'know what, maybe I'm gonna fail again, and if I do, this time, I'll accept it. No tantrum, no tears, I'll follow your guys without a single complaint. But please..." his voice lowered to a pleading whisper, "... _at least one more chance._ "

Lori observed her brother for a moment, contemplating. What had gotten into her brother ? What was this rubbish about proving himself ? From the moment they'd come here, he had been the one to suggest the most ideas, most succeeding. With all the weird rules that the Underground was imposing, he was the one in his element, figuring out how battles, equipements, and even the SAVE function worked.

So what if he didn't win a stupid little game ? What, did he want some kind of trophy to show-

Lori's train of thought froze in its tracks. A gale of memories almost tipped it over. Many victories, so many shiny trophies she and her sisters had to show, embarrassing sequences about her shoe problem.

 _And a lone, dusty, empty shelf. No gratification. No stand-out reward. **No nothing.**_

Lori slowly massaged her forehead. She was once again tasked with juggling the balance between her brother's dedication and the shared desire to continue. Well, it was what she was telling herself, but she already knew the outcome of the weighing.

" **Fine.** " decided Lori. Eyes widened around her, most in shock, and one pair in joy. "But I'm litteraly holding you on that last part. You have one try. Win or lose, we get going afterwards. The sooner we get to a town, the less chances we have of Lily getting cranky."

Lily confirmed the notion with another adorable yawn, then giggled when she felt her Linky wrapping her and Lori into a hug. "Thank you so much ! You won't regret it, I swear !" vowed the boy with watering eyes of gratitude.

Lori shook her head in amusement. And _Lola_ was supposed to be the drama queen here. Still, she gave his white hair a playful poke. "That, I still have to see. Now get your butt up there, and show us what you've got. Clock is ticking."

Lincoln didn't need to be told twice, and rushed back to the beginning. This was the other girls' cue to drop their own thoughts on Lori's decision.

"You sure about this, sis ?" asked Luna, worry lacing her tone. "I mean, what if he messes up again ? He'll be so down in the dumps, he might want to just wrap himself up in a bag and throw himself to said dump."

"And since when do you have so little faith ?" retorted Lori with a teasing smile.

Luna seemed almost offended by her sister's claim, but took it the right way. "Never, that's when ! Gotta have faith !"

"But can it really help you against fate ?" cut in Lucy, a hint of uneasiness betraying her stoic mask.

"Gotta have faith !" repeated Luna as she forced her gothic sister's arms up in a rock pose. Lucy sighed, accepting her status as a meat puppet.

"Meh, I say let him do it again." shrugged Lynn, not a care in the world. "Victory's in the bag for me, and I like his spunk. If he fails again and walks it off, it'll still be a victory for him."

"Wow, that's kinda wise coming from you." whistled an impressed Lana.

"I know it's weird, but I get like that when there are sports involved. Almost like how you get when one of the critters are involved, especially that frog of yours." said Lynn with an ebow jab to her sister, who agreed wholefully.

With that, the sisters placed themselves next to the final stretch, finding three of small rocks to sit down. When they reached them, Lola had already claimed one, and the others were given to the two youngest. Luan, Luna, and Lana began to cheer for their bro, while the others watched in complete silence.

Meanwhile, Lincoln took a deep breath. He had meant every word; he **needed** to win this. They didn't often know, but what his sisters thought of him did matter. He had a thick skin, sure. Mockeries, taunting, ridicule, he had learned to deal with all of it. He had even found himself being on the other end of the poking stick at some points. And of course, the video contest incident had taught him that he didn't need to go too far just for some recognition.

But this time, it was different. The thought of doing something special, of being congratulated by his sisters, it filled him with so much energy and passion, like never before in his entire life. He could feel each quickening beat of his heart, empowering his vow, making him feel like he could do the impossible. His whole body was shaking with so much thrill, it was almost maddening !

He was going to do this. He was gonna do it, and it would be the single most amazing thing ever !

* _The thought of ending this game in the grandest finale possible... to show the world,_ _ **your**_ _world what you are made of..._

Lincoln's eyes snapped open. The crimson in his pupils shone brighter than ever.

* _It fills you with_ _ **Determination !**_

"On your marks !" announced Lisa, loud enough for her brother to hear. She raised an eyebrow at his still form, but chose to ignore it, in favour of beginning her countdown. "Three..."

His fists clenched. His shoulders tensed.

"Two..."

His right leg widened the gap with the left, the tip of his foot moving a perfect semi-circle.

"One..."

All he could hear were the dwindling numbers. All he could see was the Ball. And all the images swirling around his mind were focused on his sole objective.

 _Everything that defined Lincoln Loud, past present and future, seemed focused on this very instant._

"GO !"

An hour later, when the time would be adequate to discuss in peace, the Loud girls would concur with the following description of events. The cover of snow rested undisturbed. None of the pine tree branches moved by an inch. And the rocky ground of the course didn't gain even the tiniest of fissures when Lincoln's boot came in contact with it.

But to them, Lincoln's first step was anything but ordinary. It produced a shockwave of power, one that they felt washing over their very SOULs. Any pair of eyes that had been distracted from the performance, turned towards a shiny stone embed in the ceiling or their own image in a compact mirror, was now completely locked on the freckled tween.

The chain of events that followed only lasted a few seconds. But the spectators saw every bit of the exploit with thorough detail.

First off, it seemed that Lincoln had completely tamed the wild white sphere. When his foot connected with it, the round bout of snow went exactly where the boy intended it to go. And it continued doing so with every little kick sent its way, even though they barely grazed its surface.

Secondly, when came the moment of deviating to the right, Lincoln fleetly spun around, and let the Ball whiz forward with a single kick. But the fact that it rivaled his athletic sister's own shoots wasn't even the impressive part. No, that distinction was awarded to what Lincoln did as the Ball moved forward. Somehow, the boy managed to run faster than the Ball, and kept its pace right around it. His body was moving left and right with agility and speed never found before in the boy. Even more jaw-dropping, it looked like he was phasing _through_ the Ball, constantly brushing it with the tip of his boot, maintaining its intense velocity. And the weird cherry on top, was the sound Lincoln's steps lacked. Only faint * _whoosh_ *'s were heard, as if he was sliding on air.

And finally, Lincoln outran the Ball for a short instant, to land on the ice rink of the track. Yes, _landing_ on the rink. Like he was on solid ground. As foolish as the idea sounded, it looked like the boy had willed the ice to recede from giving his feet any slipping. With his two red eyes locked on the hole, Lincoln caught the Ball, stopping it with a small nudge of his left knee. As it peacefully floated up to his head's level, Lincoln readied the final part of his plan, by doing what he had subsconciously done to get here. **Using his head.**

The impact of Lincoln's headbutt once again sent ripples through the SOULs of those next to him, its closeness making it even more potent. The Ball's speed threatened to overpass the hole it was aiming for, but once again, that was not the case. The snowy sphere fell right inside the hole, without touching the edges; a perfect fit.

As it disappeared inside, the strange adrenaline left Lincoln's being, and snapped his now normal eyes open, feeling like he had just awoken from the strangest dream. "Uh, what..." he began, scratching the top of his head, hopelessly confused. "Was I... Did I do it ?"

A victory jingle answered his question. It seemed a little different, longer and more orchestral. Was there a band under that hole ? The idea barely grazed Lincoln's mind, as the flagpole was rising. But there again, something felt different. Its rising was slower, with more momentum and presence to it.

It felt special. Its pure red colour felt special. And it made Lincoln's victory feel that much more special.

"I... I did it. I made it ! WOOHOO !" cheered Lincoln, ecstatically breaking down into a classic dance that made everyone watching it craving for some pistachios. Or cashews. _I could go for some cashews._ "I maaaaaade it ! I'm awwwwwesome ! I found the seeeeeecret ! Lincooooooln rules ! YUS !" he sang, now understanding a little more why Lynn liked giving her victories some moves. Well, maybe not wriggling his butt in front of someone's face. When they all did it together, it was fun. Alone, it was just plain creepy.

And speaking of all together, Lincoln's hearts swole up at the thought of his sisters watching him. He could only imagine the looks of pride and respect they were now casting onto him, and it only fueled his happy jig for a couple more minutes.

But the girls had none of those things. Not to say that they were looking disappointed or disgusted, far from it. But the utter awe grasping their minds was simply leaving no place for any expression other than eyes widened to their limits, and jaws pratically touching the cold ground.

The only one clapping her hands in delight, oblivious to what had really happened, was of course Lily, who had no idea her brother could run that fast. But she slowly ceased doing so when she saw the looks her big sisters held. Apparently, neither did they.

"Girls... today has been a day packed with emotions, it's the least we can say, right ?" Lori managed to utter despite her brain still trying to fit those new pieces inside the evergrowing puzzle that this world created inside her. The girls around her nodded, and she pursued her question, "But even through all that, we can't be losing it yet, right ?"

"If we are, it's one heck of a fast effect." Luan scratched her light brown scalp.

"That, or we really did see Lincoln unlock his inner cheetah, who apparently plays soccer like a champ." said Lana, still in awe by her brother's performance. She knew he could give a good fight in the mud when he'd put the effort into it, but this was something else.

"I vote hallucination." quipped Lola with a hand in the air. But the master of drama and crocodile tears herself couldn't make this lie any believable, even to herself.

"I'm gonna have to check a second time to see if our brother is not a werewolf. White fur could work..." muttered Lucy, already lost in her gloomy yet hunky wolf-derland.

One sportaholic brunette though wasn't sold by the idea. "Okay, no. Lola is 100% right. It's just this place messing with our minds or something, using its weird magic to make us think that Lincoln – OUR Lazy Lincs – can suddenly give Umar Flash a run for his money. It has to be." said Lynn with a mask of nonchalant confidence. Though to a sharp ear, it sounded more like she was trying to convice herself. "I mean, do you really believe that Lincoln could make it in-"

"5.6 seconds." whispered Lisa.

"Ha, yeah ! 5.6 seconds ! That would be the best joke ever !" guffawed Lynn, passing an arm around her bespectacled sister's shoulder, who barely reacted to the touch. "That's a good one you got there, Lis'."

"I'd wholefully endavour in its hilarity; _**if**_ this was a joke, that is." tersely replied Lisa.

"HA ! You're too much ! Maybe you should be the comedian of the family !" Lynn kept chortling. Luan's expression visibly soured at the words, but Luna sweetened it with a comforting pat on the back. However, Lynn's levity slowly vanished when she saw the lack of any hint of a smile gracing her sister's look of pure neutrality. "Hehe, heh... you _are_ joking, right ?"

To answer her, Lisa thrusted her trusty stopwatch forward for all to see. Pushed by their curiosity, the girls lost no time in taking a good look at it.

And on the digital panel, appeared Lisa's exact result.

"' _S...G_ ' ? Like, I thought we were talking about numbers. Or is this one of those math thingies where they put letters in, and never really solve the problem anyway ?" naively, but truthfully spoke Leni.

"Those are digital numbers, Leni." explained Lori. "And it says exactly what Lisa just said. Five _point_ six seconds."

Lynn gaped at the result, scarcely finding the right words, but not for long. "T-That can't be right ! _It can't be !_ You pushed that button too early, it's the only explanation !" she raved, gaining a crazy eye.

A frown struck Lisa's face like lightning, an effect that the Loud sibs knew all too well, as it was her clockwork reaction to her intelligence being questionned. _Again._ "While I can admit the possibility of my bewilderement over looking at our brother's performance might not guarantee the exactitude of this result, the most it could be erroneous of is a quarter of a second. My results still stand : our brother unit has beaten us, and by far."

"But that's impossible !" bellowed Lynn, feeling her vision on the world falling apart. "In ten years and about three thousand races, Lincoln never beat me, _ever_ ! It's almost a rule now ! And you tell me that after miserably failing the first try, he suddenly pulls off half of _my_ time ?! Granted, not my greatest try, but still !"

"Hard to believe it either, little dudette, but the facts are there." quipped Luna, with a scratch of her chin that balanced both reflexion and amusement. "The how, we have no idea, and it doesn't matter. We saw it, we felt it, and we've got the numbers to prove it. Lincoln just ran circles around us, and another record bites the dust today."

"There's a first time for everything. I mean, that's pratically this place's motto, right ?" chuckled Lola, coming to accept her brother's win. Not that it deeply affected her, since first place was already out of her grasp.

Lynn though, felt crushed. She knew there wasn't any trophy to win. She knew that her entire sports career wouldn't crumble down and fall into the abyss over losing one silly game. And dang it, she knew that reacting obsessively to defeat only brought harm to her kin, her image, and herself. The Board Game incident had already planted the seed of that notion in her brain, and it had bloomed on the sports field, after a certain Squirrel Boy had given her a piece of her mind. And nearly bitten a piece of her ear off.

But losing against her little brother ? On a ball/running-based game ? Defeated in her very element by Lazy Lincs ?! The notion was absurd, something of a joke Luan would tell on a good day. Or rather, it had been. No matter how harsh it was to her, Lynn had to face the facts. "A spotless 10-year record. Gone, just like that. _Poof._ " she murmured through a long disgruntled sigh.

"'Are you gonna live ?" simply said Lori, but enough to bring a spark back into Lynn's eyes.

"Yeah... yeah, I'll live. Just, could you not spread the word outside of the house ? I love my team to bits, but trust me when I say that they'll _**never**_ let me live it down." awkwardly implored Lynn. She shuddered at the reminescence of how long it had taken her friends to forget that little dip she'd accidentally taken in that soda pool.

"We won't. But you might just hear it bounce off the walls of our house from time to time." crowed Lucy, prompting complice snickering amongst the others. The young athlete rolled her eyes. As if she expected _that_ to not happen.

"Guys, guys ! Over here !" rang Lincoln's call, disbanding the freshly formed sister forum. They saw their brother happily waving at them, beckoning them to come closer. "There's something written on the flag, come read it with me !"

They saw nothing wrong with that, and quickly joined him. But upon getting closer, a weird feeling seized the girls. Every time the flagpole had risen, a different feeling had come with it. Cryptic, serene, invigorating, you name them. But it had come as a tingle before, a sensation from the back of their minds, one that felt familiar and above all, right.

But the red flagpole was different. Not only did they all feel that familiar itch, the one that was respectly theirs; all the other feelings were splashing against their minds with a certain virulence. The pure red seemed to ooze raw power. So much so that some felt a little owerwhelmed just looking at it. But surprisingly, Lincoln seemed spared by that effect. In fact, he looked shinier than ever !

"Okay, it's a little hard to read, but here it goes !" he chirped, then began his narration.

{ _Undertale OST – But the Earth Refused to Die_ }

"' _ **RED**_ **:** _Patience._ '"

Lori and Lily were startled by the tingling in their chests, followed by the calm appearance of their light blue SOULs. Not only did they feel more still than before, a glow of the same colour rippled across the Blanket 2.0 and the Squeaky Mallet tucked inside Lily's parka, as well as the Faded Ribbon still on Lori's head, and the Toy Knife pushed to the bottom of her coat pocket.

"'BRAVERY.'"

Lynn and Lana didn't know what to say when their orange SOULs appeared and beat faster, only mouthing a silent "What ?". Lynn's Tough Glove was also glowing an orange hue.

"' **Integrity.** '"

Lola and Luan's eyes gained width as their blue SOULs throbbed a weird tempo when the word reached their ears.

"' _ **Perseverance.**_ '"

Lisa reached for her chest with a sharp breath. A little shock had passed through her purple SOUL, but she didn't dare searching for the answer, feeling that it was about to come.

"' **Kindness.** '"

A little yelp escaped Leni's throat despite herself, immediately huddling with her green SOUL. She swore she had felt something scorch it for an instant.

"'Justice.'"

A sharp feeling tore like a harmless bullet through the two yellow SOULs. Luna and Lucy could only share a glance. Both held the same magnitude of confusion.

And it only grew when Lincoln's second voice joined the narration.

*"' _Through those different traits you've seen and learned, you found a different path. You broke expectations, shattered beliefs, and accomplished what all thought impossible. You succeeded not for yourself, nor did you win by yourself, but you led a fair battle all the same. You knew why, and who, you were truly doing it for._ '"

The breeze that had been lightly blowing bangs about suddenly picked up speed. The girls were forced to shield their faces from the nippy gale, and both their SOULs and their outlines were shining brighter than before, helping them stand the storm of power that was now generated by the flagpole. As they tried shielding their younger sisters, the oldest quintor felt the rush of energies revealing one more source. It was not a mere merging feeling, it did not just feel like all those familiar auras combined.

The seventh source itself appeared as an ember, minuscule and barely visible. But its sole presence lit up the others, transforming them into a wild inferno of power. Not good, not bad. _Solely **power.**_

But the storm had yet to show all of its colours. Lincoln was standing still, transfixed by the flag's writing, and completely unaffected by the wind. Not a hair on the top of his head budged through the tempest; in fact, it seemed that the energy was coming as much from him as it was coming from the pole. His crimson SOUL was there, gleaming and pulsating like a microscopic Supernova, adding on the raw energy with each beat, echoed by the ten colourful SOULs behind it.

Around the white-haired boy, dimly like an aura, but clear enough for the girls to see it, a figure appeared. All they could see was its back. It looked human, with a childish look to it, yet was larger than any human they had ever met. They noticed its peachy skin, its messy green sweater with a yellow stripe, its light brown pants, and its pudding basin style brown hair; minds were quickly taken back to their brother's more thorough description of his dream, back at Toriel's.

Lincoln's voice no longer had an echo. It had gained enough power to be clearly heard from the boy's maturing voice. Lincoln no longer spoke alone. **They were BOTH speaking.** _**And their voices thundered through the area and beyond.**_

* _ **"'THROUGH YOUR** **DETERMINATION** **, YOU PUT A DEFINITIVE END TO THE GAME OF** **BALL** **!** **'"**_

{ _End of track_ }

* * *

His head snapped upwards, almost breaking his stem in the process.

That shout. That power.

 _That voice. The only voice that after all this time, he still cherished, and prayed to hear one more time._

 _Could it be ..?_

...No. There was no way.

He chuckled hollowly.

 _Looks like he was going as mad as this old fool he once called Daddy..._

* * *

His head snapped upwards, almost flying off his neck and bumping against the top of his station.

That shout. That power.

 _That energy. Only once had he felt anything like it._

He quickly ran a scan of the zone through his shortcuts.

No SOUL had vanished. He sighed in deep relief.

Not even his bro's. Even though he was now awfully close to the source.

Suddenly, the energy vanished. And soon after, so did he.

He needed to see this.

 _Plus, his bro would be soon raving '_ NON-SANS ! _'_ _at him if he didn't show up ASAP._

* * *

Abruptly, a complete silence crashed on the area. The gale force dropped to nothingness, and the energy simply went out, as if someone had turned off a power switch. The storm of energy had also left no trace of its passage ; not a snowflake was out of place.

Well, that's not true, there were proofs it had been there. And that was just what Lincoln was about to find out.

The boy was wrapping up his reading with a clear of his throat, a little hoarse for some reason. "Wow, you were right girls. That flag is very nice, but I think he went a little overboard with me." said Lincoln 'modestly', ignoring the big grin on his own face as he blew on his fingers. He turned to the camera. "What ? With ten sisters, it's not often you get to be in the spotlight. Let me savour it, will ya ? Besides, it's not like it did any harm."

Lincoln then turned around, and was met with a most peculiar sight. "Uh..." he hesitated, lifting a inquiring finger. "Why do you look like Dad gave you a haircut ?" He was referencing to the many shapes the hair of his sisters had taken. Everyone with hair longer than Lucy were now indicating that the nearby community pool was on their right. Lincoln pursed his lips, "Well, more like began to give you a haircut, seeing as no one has any bald spots."

"What ?! Linky, I can't hear you with that stupid alarm clock in my head !" shouted Leni, her finger furiously at work trying to turn it off.

"Now, I'd be the first to joke off a subject, but I'm going to be extra serious here : Geez Louise, what the heck was all that ?!" asked Luan in a shaky tone.

"What was what ?" said Lincoln, arching an eyebrow.

The girls looked at him like he had suddenly begun speaking Latin. "Lincoln... you did hear yourself speaking, right ?" slowly uttered Lori.

Lincoln's confusion grew some more. "Yeees ?" he asked, wondering if he had released a curse by inadvertence. "Why, wasn't I clear enough ?"

"Oh trust me, we heard ya **Loud** and clear !" said Lynn with a shake of her head, trying to crank her ponytail back into its normal shape.

"Then, what about it ?"

"What about it ?! Are you seriously asking that question ?!" Lola cried out vehemently, her face beet red with anger after seeing the state of her hair. If things kept going like that, when they'd reach the exit, she'd be balder than a pool ball !

"Would you guys just tell me already ?! What did I do that's _so_ important ?! Did I curse ? Did I scratch my butt at the wrong moment ? Did I declare war on chocolate ?! WHAT ?!" shouted the fed-up tween. Instead of congratulations for his feat, there he was being interrogated like a criminal !

Lisa felt the general atmosphere starting to derail, and decided to intervene. "Roughly 92 seconds ago, your small lecture of what is written on the present flag tremendously scaled up in volume, accompanied with wind of a small storm magnitude, and an overwhelming sensation of power numbing our very beings." she explained to her brother, with a bewildered stare that she half-expected. "It is rather strange that you took no notice it, as all those elements combined rivaled the sonority of a Rock concert."

"And no soft Rock, bro." concurred Luna, patting her short hair down. "It was an Amp-blasting, Guitar-obliterating, First-row-sent-flying kind of Rock concert ! You sure you didn't hear _any_ of it ?"

Lincoln felt ready to deny, but shortly mulling both of his wise sisters' words, halted his answer. Each tap of his finger against his chin slowly tore through his previous obliviousness. "Now that you mention it... I did feel a little bit more zealous near the end. And I couldn't hear anything either. It was like wearing my Noise-B-Gone, except without any relaxing sound. There was just a quiet wind sound, kinda echo-y. _Like it was blowing through a huge, never-ending abyss, and I was the only one standing in it..._ "

"Woah..." said the siblings of ages between Leni and Lola, picturing the image in their heads, and either wondering how it must feel, or fearing the loneliness that came with it. Lisa was too busy jolting down every fresh information on the ' _Lincoln's inner narrator : Spectral entity or Repressed double personality ?_ ' section of her notebook to properly react. And Lori, while keeping an eye on Lincoln to detect any trace of red and reassuring the whimpering tot in her arms, replayed the sight of that apparition over and over. She knew she had seen it somewhere before, but where ?

Lincoln too stood deep in wonder, especially after her sisters started talking about what happened during his little bout of reading. Energies ? Terms reacting with their SOULs ? And... the narrator person appearing around him ? He tried summoning them for clearance, putting all of his mind into it. But once again, the mysterious entity remained cryptically silent. One moment it was apparently blasting eardrums and shaking the very cavern with their voice, and the next, it was like they never existed in the first place.

Whatever their game was, Lincoln hadn't the faintest idea. But the longer he shared his mind with them, the more he felt inclined to find out who they really were.

But, speaking of game, a jingling caught Lincoln's attention. He turned his head to its source, the flagpole, and gasped in elation when he located the prize. Litteraly.

"Holy Schemoly ! Look at what the flag just gave me !" he laughed bubbly, his hands jingling the moderately sized bag of golden coins.

Lola gaped at it, almost losing grip on her precious pink hairbrush. She unconciously licked her lips at the vision she had of all those riches; so accurate in fact, one could swear her vision was going right through the bag's thin leather.

Lana felt a disturbance in the twin force, and immediately grasped the collar of Lola' coat. She soon had to be joined by Luan and Luna. "Heed girl, heed !" she frantically ordered. The little princess turned a deaf ear, and kept trying to escape the collective grip, perched on all fours, and her eyes gleaming of the same gold she was wildly trying to jump at.

"I guess you could say she turned into a _Golden Retriver_! Hahahaha ! Get it ?" jested Luan, not caring one bit about the groans; this one had been gift-wrapped to her !

The high-pitched barking brought Lori back to reality. She promptly ignored the Chihua-lola, and instead approached Lincoln to retrieve his prize. He graciously gave it, and Lori poured the Gold inside her own magic purse. The amount made her eyebrows rise up in surprise. "Fifty Gold ?! That's more than what we won, combined !"

"Looks like Lincoln truly won this round." drawled Lucy, happy for her brother even if she didn't show it.

Lynn though was still a tad less happy about it. "He got lucky. And he had weird mumbo jumbo helping him. It doesn't count." she grumpily murmured.

Unfortunately for her, Lincoln had heard her, and the smug tone he was using was not sitting with the athlete. "I don't think luck and magic were part of the rules. Looks like the Loud House has a new champ." he purred to her ear, then started the infamous Victory Dance. "And his name is Lincoln Loud, oh yeah !"

Lynn's blood was sizzling at this point, and she knew what had to be done, for her pride's sake. A crack of her knuckles and neck later, the sportsgirl made a mighty jump, arched her elbow, and shouted "Lucha Libre !".

Lincoln's girly scream before she landed would be remembered as much as his victory.

The remaining sibs watched the two duke it out ( _if you could even call it that_ ) with great amusement, the scene making them feel right at home. Some things never changed.

Or did they ? That was the question ringing inside Luna's mind as she accoasted Lori. "So sis, are we doin' anything about Lincs' ghost, or are we just gonna keep an eye on it like before ?"

"We'll go with number 2, but tighter than before." decided Lori, her look and tone stern yet slightly worried. "He- _They_ are still friendly, but let's not be fools about it. If there's one thing we learned from that little scene earlier, it's that whoever they are, they're also very powerful. And I feel a bit stupid for not having realised it before. I'm ready to bet my two-month anniversary earring that it's their influence that's giving us the power to go back in time."

"Huh. 'Makes a mightier lick of sense than the ' _magic in the air_ ' theory. They still give me some weird vibes every time I hear they speak though."

Lori raised an eyebrow at this. "How so ?"

"No idea, love. It just feels like... _like they've done something very bad_." answered Luna, confused by her own words. But true to herself, she brushed it off for a relaxed grin. "But eh, no need to bust our heads over it. I'm sure our bro's got this."

"AAAAH ! Okay okay, you win ! You're still the champion ! Now please stop bending my spine like a slinky !"

"More like he's got us." Lori snickered to herself.

Lynn felt content with her brother's plea, and released her claw-like grip on him. "And don't you forget it." she proudly said, dusting her hands, then offering him one. "Seriously though, nice job bro. Ghost magic or not, you were still pretty awesome back there."

Lincoln felt his heart being pinched upon hearing this- Oh wait, never mind, that was his soar spine. But he still took the compliment to heart. It wasn't often that Lynn of all people, would congratulate him on his physical skills.

But, at last, the Ball game had ended. Knowing this, Lori whistled for everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, this took way longer than we expected. So, I think everyone will approve, that we litteraly gotta go if we want to find a nice place to sleep." She then felt Leni's cheek squish against her own, looking at her expectantly. Lori rolled her eyes in amusement. "And see what else Papyrus is doing." Leni squealed. "Does anyone have any objection with that ?"

This seemed like a rather stupid question; who would disagree with the notion of moving forward ? Well, apparently someone did, in the form of a pale hand peeking from behind Leni's back, promptly spooking the ditzy blonde out of her reverie.

Lori blinked at the perpetrator. "Lucy ? You've got an objection ?"

"More like a remark." replied Lucy, monotone as ever. "I think Lincoln's outburst did one more casuality. And they look alive. For now."

Lucy's siblings turned their heads to the direction she was pointing towards to, and saw, just under the pine tree that stood on the left on the course's final stretch, two small chubby feet flailing around, clearly trying to get the rest of their body out of the big lump of snow they were now buried under.

It was all the Louds needed to know to jump at the monster's rescue. Lana actively chucked the snow away faster than a mole on its third expresso, then Lynn pulled them out, and Lincoln ended the rescue by patting down the powder to free the monster from its cold prison.

"Hey, are you okay ?" asked Lincoln, feeling a little guilty. "Sorry, I don't exactly control it. I didn't even know I could do it before-"

* _Slap !_ *

"OW !" yelped Lincoln, holding his gloved hand and rubbing it in hopes of shaking its soreness off. "What was that for ?!"

"THIEVES !" shouted the monster in a young high-pitched voice, quickly backing away from the small human crowd. "You'll never have my amazing hat ! NEVER ! You'll have to get through me first !"

The little fiery spirit was indeed very little, but not so much fiery in appearance. Like many monsters they've seen thus far, he seemed to blend well with the winter theme of Snowdin, but even more so than Snowdrake's snoflake-shaped head, the warm fur of Doggo, or a lack of skin to feel the cold, trait held by the skelebros. Indeed, the monster's entire body seemed to be made of snow.

But whatever magic had created the monster hadn't really thought of proportions. The round head _he_ possessed was as big as the rest of his body, which was quite stubby in shape. Two arms, two legs, a tummy and a thin neck, but no finger, toes, or any other features to compliment it. No ears to be accounted on his head either, but two big round eyes were there, glaring, as well as frowning lips and a carrot-like nose, drilling with anger.

But the most noticeable feature, the one that litteraly poked out of his frame, was his peculiar headgear. The whole thing was made out of crystals, with one large one in the center, and two smaller but just as pretty ones poking out from the front and the back. Its design plus its rich light red, borderline pink colour gave it the appearance of a majestic crown, and the pride the monster had for it certainly reinforced that notion. The tyke looked like he would defend that crown with everything he had !

Which as said before, wasn't much. Lana looked at the monster, unimpressed by the fact that she didn't have to look up once to meet his eyes. "Yeah, no offense buddy, but there isn't much to get through. Also, you're welcome !"

But the drama ice queen didn't seem in a very grateful state. In fact, his ire only seemed to grow by this comment. "Welcome for what ? You are the ones who blew me away, and then took me out with the carefulness of a Pyrope ! You are just lucky my amazing hat was impervious to your brutish manners ! I should report you all to the fashion police !"

Leni gasped in pure horror. "NO ! I can't go to fashion jail ! Like, I was half asleep when I wore those crocs, totes honest !"

Deep was the annoyance in those two fingers rubbing Lori Loud's forehead. "Leni, for the last time, it's an expression. The fashion police isn't a real thing !"

"That's exactly what they want you to think." growled Leni, knowing her invisible enemy was there, looking at her. "And before you know it, they knock you over the head, bind you with leggings, and make you wear jorts for all eternity !" Lori wanted to retort, but just thinking about the fashion massacre left the acidic taste of bile in her mouth, forcing her to clamp it shut in fear of heaving down whatever was left inside her stomach. Finding out what magic looked like once regurgitated was not on today's to-do list, nor was it on one for the next century.

"Geez, he sure has a big attitude for someone that size." remarked Lynn, quickly getting irritated with the monster's stuck-up attitude. And yet...

"A hot attitude that strikes cold, an ego bigger than their cranium can scientifically allow, and an unhealthy obsession in external looks... I don't think I need to develop any further than that." sassed Lisa.

"Well, I have Sans, Lucy has Blooks, Lori has Toriel, in a way, and Leni has Papyrus. Following that logic, we were _snowbound_ to find someone who had the _sashay_ to rival Lola's." quipped Luan astutely.

"Uh, speaking of which you guys..." cringed Lincoln as he looked at the concerned party of one. Despite the slanderous mumbling going behind her back, the princess didn't look like she was registering any of it. Odd, considering how she could feel people badmouthing her even if it was from the other end of the house. Then again, the Loud House's thin walls and large vent system probably helped a lot.

A mad glint was betraying the princess down the corner of her eye, and any trace of strawberry-flavoured lipstick left on her lips after the events of the last hour alone, was being washed off by another heavily greedy lick over them. The sibs didn't have to tap too far into their memories to understand her predicament : Another ferocious golden fever was hitting the little blonde.

Immediately, Lana began shaking her twin awake. Well, trying very hard at least. "Would you get a grip already ?! I know his hat is really sparkly, and that anything that shines and sparkles is something you have to get your mitts on. But maybe not when it's a monster who has it !"

"What ? I have no idea of what you're talking about." Lola feigned ignorance, an almost-toothy grin still plastered on her face.

"Oh, so it doesn't appeal to you, at all ?" asked Lana, skeptical.

"What ever does ?"

"That big crown-like hat this guy has." pointed the mud lover. The monster raised a very grumpy eyebrow at the fleshy sausage aimed at him.

Lola faux-gasped. "Oh wow, I didn't even notice it ! It is pretty, but nothing to lose your marbles over."

"Really ?"

"Really."

"So your eyes having the shape of that crown is totally a coincidence then ?" sneered Lana teasingly.

Lola's stage smile vanished, and she looked at her reflection through her compact. Huh, so they were. But Lola gave the biggest nose flip to her twin's smug grin. "Fine, maybe I do like the design of his crown very much. But it's big, made of sparkly crystals, and _pink_ ! So bite me !"

* _Chomp !_ *

"THAT WAS AN EXPRESSION, YOU MINDLESS ANIMAL !" shrieked Lola, rubbing her now tenderised arm.

"Hey, don't think I enjoy it ! Your coat tastes like minty toothpaste !" said Lana in-between spits to the ground.

Lori was about to give the two a piece of her mind, but the Loud House's own peacemaker barged in before she could utter the first word. "Okay, okay, that's enough you two !" said Lincoln, breaking the very obvious incoming fight. "I mean, can we go five minutes before breaking into a full-on brawl ?"

"But Lynn and you-" started to rebuff Lola.

"Who said I was excluding me ? What I'm saying is, we've been doing pretty great at respecting our first Underground rule when we explored the Ruins, and now this is happening ! We're in a thermometer-freezing area, for pete sake ! And yet we've been acting more hot-headed than ever !"

"HA ! The puns aren't getting _cold_ feet though !" Luan cackled through the groan galore.

Lincoln shook his head, and turned to the wilder half of the hissing duo. "Lana, your sister may have an obsession with shiny stuff-"

"I'm not obsessed ! I appreciate beauty and pizzazz, that's all."

"-but that's not a reason to tease her or to bite her like a chicken wing."

"Could've been fooled. Maybe if she ate a little more..." Lana mumbled crossly.

"Lana..." warned Lincoln with his pressuring disappointed look.

"Urgh, fine ! I'm sorry for biting you, Lola !" gave in the tomboy. It was clear that she didn't really mean it, but Lincoln knew it was as close an apology he would get. He gave his little sister a proud pat on the head, which she tried to pout at, but mellowed under it soon after. In the background, Lori fondly smiled at her brother's action. It sure felt good to look at the scene with pride instead of petty envy.

"Accepted." said Lola. "Both for the apology and the fact you didn't say sorry about the teasing. Because it's totally true, I want that monster's hat so bad !" Her eyes lit up with sparkling excitement.

"Go find your own, blondie !" spat the little snowman, already irritated by the lack of attention he and his hat have been receiving for the last minute. But his anger soon turned into mild confusion. "And what do you mean by 'that _monster's_ hat' ? You're as much of a monster... than..." His eyes went wide with epiphany.

" _Sigh._ Here we go again." crowed the raven-haired poet.

" _You're humans !_ No wonder you all want my hat so badly !" snarled the young monster, his tone harbouring even more fierceness.

"Dude, trust me, we don't." Luna tried to reassure him, not yet seeing the _battle glint_ in the kid's eye.

"I DO !" cried out Lola.

"Dudette !"

"IT'S SO SPARKLY ! _I NEED IT !_ "

And that was all the crowned youngster needed to confirm his fears. His hat was in peril ! Well, he certainly wasn't about to go down without a proper...

 **Fight engaged !**

* _"Ice Cap sassily struts into battle !"_

The rainbow of SOULs appeared, and the siblings groaned, louder than if a joke from the resident comedienne had been uttered. It helped that Luan was joining the groaning fray.

"We were so close ! Why can't we leave this zone already ?!" moaned Lynn, pulling on her lower eyelids with intense frustration. Lucy's mouth opened, but Lynn blocked it with her hand. "Are you going to say something that's philosophical, but also ultra depressing ?"

Lucy lightly waved her hand in a "Maybe ?" fashion.

"Then I don't want to hear it." firmly said the teen, withdrawing her hand before Lucy could lick it. A common defense mechanism against censorship in the Loud House.

"Censored by my own family. As always, I'll be weeping on the inside." monotoned Lucy, keeping the drama high, even if it wasn't necessary. Which meant good drama.

Lori shook her head, but didn't even bother to sigh. Toriel had warned them that enemies would be everywhere. And his reasons of doing so weren't any less strange or random than the other monsters they'd thought, fluffy caretaker not included. As such, she only gestured to her brother, "Lincoln, if you could just..."

"Already on it." saluted Lincoln, his hand already going for the ACT button. As per usual, he cholse the new monster's name, then the _Check_ option, and the red flare of Lincoln's inner narrator reappeared in the boy's eyes.

* _"Ice Cap. ATK 11, DEF 4. Everyday this kid wonders why he wasn't named 'Ice Hat'. Look out for his stalactite attacks, or they'll get the drop on you."_

"Oh, Ice _Cap_ ! I get it !" snickered Luan.

"You'll get more if you don't watch out dudette !" cried Luna, as she pulled Luan back from a big grey shape emerging from the ground. It looked like a pipe, or a big reverse top hat half-buried into the ground. Once fully emerged, it began blinking red, and blasted three white stalactites glued together into the air. Then, gravity did its work, forcing the siblings to disband, and the chunk of ice shattered on the ground, before disappearing.

"Yikes, this just got dangerous !" said Lana.

"Well heads up guys, 'cause it's not over yet !" Leni gestured to three other top hats poking out of the ground, blasting chunks of ice one after the other. The Louds did their best to avoid all the falling attacks, but Leni, Lucy and Lisa still ended up being hit by the icy fallouts, taking 2 HP away from their life bars.

"Ha ! That's what you get ! Fear the power of my incredible hat !" taunted the monster louder than ever.

Lincoln gave his back a crack, as it had gotten sore from landing on it, and adressed his sisters, "Okay people, we need ideas, and fast. This guy doesn't hurt too much, but his attacks are not looking very easy to avoid." he said, as the sibs all huddled up.

"We could try butter the guy up. He's so proud of that hat of his, maybe we'll get on his good side dropping a few good comments." slyly suggested Luna.

"Okay, but that didn't really work with Snowdrake." recalled Luan, wondering how her student was faring right now.

"Yeah, but that dude was desperate for an audience. Sassy over here looks like he wants that positive attention real bad." Luna jabbed a finger over her shoulder, to where Ice Cap was trying to pose in hopes of increasing his hat's awesomeness.

"Alright, everyone agrees ?" asked Lori, which all quickly agreed, though Lola only nodded absent-mindedly; was it her, or was that hat getting even greater-looking the more she gazed at it ? "Alright, let's go for some compliments. And don't hold anything back. Think, what Dad says every time Mom buys some new jeans."

The siblings shuddered at the memories of disgustingly sweet talk, followed by their parents sharing a long and languorous kiss. They didn't really mind their parents showing their love to eachother, heck, they were more than glad for them. But did they really have to do it 80% of the time either in the living-room, or while they are eating ?

Nevertheless, the tactic sounded good, and the motion was approved. Lori pushed the ACT Button, followed by the newly arrived _Compliment_ option.

"Oh, my gosh." breathed Lincoln, his eyes gaining stars. "Girls, are you seeing what I'm seeing ?"

"I dare think so, brother of mine." followed Lisa, putting surprisingly strong elation in her tone. "Even the scientific that I am cannot deny that what we are seeing, is a headdress directly sent from above..."

"And what a gift it is ! How merciful is this angel to _honour_ us with such a divine crown !" swooned Lori. It seemed that taking Lisa to that Shakespeare play was finally paying off in some way.

Luna played her musical card. "Any album with a cover that could capture a tenth of that hat's dazzle would snatch that Platinium Disk right on release date, even if that disc was just a compilation of crying babies remixed in G Major."

"Every gold and trophy I've ever won... they suddenly don't matter..." gushed Lynn in the most dramatic tone she could pull off.

"Its light is opening my eyes to the world. Perhaps there life has more to offer than darkness." recited Lucy, putting her all in blocking herself from harshly biting her tongue.

"It's so sparkly and clean... and I l-love it." Lana almost hacked. Urgh, she'd need to wash her mouth with some toilet water after that.

"If I had a hat myself, I'd be taking it off for you, my good sir." said Luan, mimicking her words with a swing of her arm and a courteous bow.

"You're so lucky, Lily. You're seeing the prettiest hat in the whole universe." Leni played along... or did she ? Those tears seemed pretty real. The toddler in her arms pulled off the gig quite well though, giving her eyes a gleam of innocent awe.

Lola said nothing. She just kept staring ahead, thoughtfully this time around; but _she_ certainly looked like she had seen an angel. ' _Only one thing would make this hat truly perfect..._ ' she thought, holding it for an instant, probably wondering what detail would be worthy- ' ** _Me_** _under it !_ ' she squealed delightfully. _Of course..._

The Loud group kept throwing compliments and engaging into eager chit-chat with the precious headgear as sole conversation theme; doing so loud enough for the monster child to clearly hear them. His mouth hung lightly open, and they could see his white cheeks gaining a microscopic hue of pink. Any time soon, he would be exploding with joyful pride, all would be forgiven, and they'd all be on their merry ways.

 _But fate had other plans for the humans, ones with more spice. Or rather, a very common mineral._

Instead of soaking in the compliments like a joyful sponge, Ice Cap, proudly patting his hat, let it drip down his body with a snobbish snort. "Duh, who DOESN'T know all that stuff ? But yeah, keep admiring. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two about getting a proper headwear."

Frowns grew amongst the sibs, both the bareheaded and coverheaded. They happened to like those winter clothes, as they not only had been selected by their caretaker, but also because they were the perfect likeness of the ones they owned back home. Another reminder of their quest's end goal, and a fond memory to hold onto.

The most upset though, had to be the little grease monkey herself, currently giving the snobby insult a low growl. This wasn't about winter clothing in her case; her very pride had just been slandered by this snow midget.

"Hey, my hat may not be all fashiony, but it's been sitting proudly on my head for years ! And I like it very much !" vented Lana with a death glare of her own.

While barely fazed by the outburst, Ice Cap scratched his chin, actually considering what he had just heard. "Hmm, I still think it's really plain-looking. But I'll admit, it does have some... personality to it." he analysed, his voice and demanour those of a fashion designer. All he was missing was a tight black shirt, white jeans, and a pair of black heeled boots.

The answer contented the tomboy. She wasn't looking for any fashionable compliment, just that it was hers, and it mattered because of it. But while she was free to go being herself, Ice Cap wasn't quite done yet.

"That's more than I can say for the pink one next to you."

Stillness. Then, the sound of something breaking. The Loud group didn't have to look very far to find the source; only broken shards remained of Lola's previously crown-shaped pupils. With them, her awe-filled trance had been broken.

"And what seems to be the problem with my tiara, buddy ? Isn't it one fit for a true princess ?" asked Lola with a big grin. But the grin was no longer admiring. It was the one her siblings had learned to dread, with slight twitches warning the reciever that their next words could decide for the inclusion of scratches and bite marks in their near future.

But it seemed that Ice Cap's hat was too bright for him to notice it. "Fit for a princess ? It's so small, I barely saw it when I first looked at you. A princess' crown is supposed to have gold, jewels, something gleamy in it. It's gotta scream pizzazz, beauty, _royalty_. But yours doesn't have any of that. It's just a dull little **_trinklet_**."

* _"Your sweet talk met a saltier response."_

The atmosphere suddenly got a whole lot thicker. The siblings could feel the waves of incoming wrath radiating from their pink-clad sister, and were sure the snow would start melting on a wide radius any second now. But curiously, but not any less worrisome, the opposite happened. Lola's blue SOUL brightened with a cooler blue, and the patch of stony floor around its owner was getting bluer, with a few specks of ice appearing. Even the snow looked like it was getting harder. The company didn't quite know how to react to that.

But it immediately clicked on when Lola started to remove her gloves while advancing.

"Woah Lola, calm down !" said Lynn as she cut her path. "What do you think you're doing ?"

"Just going to let this _monster_ know exactly what I _think_ of his little **_advice._** " she hissed through her dangerously wide smile. Lynn's SOUL skipped a beat when the grin slowly turned towards her. "You're not going to stop me, are you **_sister dearest ?_** "

A shiver of fear went down her spine, but the courageous brunette stood her ground. "He's obnoxious, I'll give you that. But you gotta keep a cool head here."

"Agreed !" piped Luan, wisely nodding at the hidden pun. "We promised we'd never touch that FIGHT Button again if we could help it ! You gotta keep the gloves on !"

"Not to mention the horrendous consequences that could arise from a fault of judgement in the strength you wish to put in your warring action." Lisa tried to remind, making a mental note for any writings on the phenom. Anything to replace the memory of its demonstration.

Lola's unnerving smile didn't falter. "Oh, but that's okay. I didn't press the button, and I don't intend to. I only want to see if that carrot nose he has _tastes_ _like one_." she sneered grimly.

"Yeah, not happening." stated Lori, firmly gripping her pink-clad sister's shoulder. "We don't know if attacking without inputting the command still does damage or not. And we're litteraly _never_ finding out. Not even for your wounded ego."

"WOUNDED EGO ?!" finally exploded Lola, taking everyone a bit off guard, except Ice Cap, too busy admiring his hat once more. "My name has been dragged through the mud, Lori ! My tiara is a symbol of everything I stand for, every victory I've ever earned ! _And he called it a_ ** _DULL little TRINKLET !_** " she roared, baring her sharpened teeth. Her gaze now carried an inferno of its own, and threatened to scorch any other eye meeting hers. This was Lola at one of her angriest levels.

And yet, Lori's expression stood still as stone. "The answer is still no. We don't fight monsters."

"He made fun of my treasure, but I can't touch him just because he's a monster ?! That's not fair !" whined Lola, part of her wrath having been doused off by Lori's calm voice.

"You're right, but we're going to make it right. Just, not with violence." Lori patted her shoulder soothingly. An eerie grin then crossed her features. "After all, there are other ways to punish a hater than to blow your gasket at them..."

Before Lori could go on about her idea, Ice Cap decided he had done enough self-admiring ( _for now_ ) and took his turn. Instead of flying icicles, the attack came in the form of a white mist, with a slithering path cutting it in two. Before the walls could close on them, the sibs put themselves in a line, two by two, and followed the mist's waving corridor. The assault required quite the level of coordination to be avoided, but they managed. To the exception of Luna, who took one of the turns a little too sharp, and ended with her shoulder grazed by the harmful mist. But 'twas only a scratch, and she brushed it off as such.

Finally, the mist dissipated, and Ice Cap waited for the humans' next action. All turned to their leader. "Alright, what's the plan ?" inquired Lincoln.

"We pull a reverse Snowdrake." stated Lori.

Leni pursed her lips. "We cry on the ground ? How's that gonna help ?"

Lori resisted a swift facepalm. "Not like that, Leni. Both Snowdrake and that guy want positive attention, correct ? But as Luna said, Snowdrake was desperate for this attention, because it was his first gig. Ice Cap _welcomes_ compliments, he thinks it's something normal, something he deserves. So, if we want to bamboozle him-"

"That's not a real word." cut in Lisa, but was ignored, much to her vexation.

"-we need to go the other way around : We have to act as if he isn't even there !" she finished with a mischevious smile.

"Oooh, stop feeding the troll, and he'll go away." reasonned Luan with a toothy smile. "Now that's one way to get him to blow his _top_ off !"

"It also sounds a little mean." remarked Leni, not looking too keen on the idea. "Do we really have to ? Like, he's just a little kid."

"And that's exactly why we need to set limits, sis !" asserted Luna. "If we don't, he'll keep goin' bad without even realising it. We're doing the little dude a favour here." Leni still didn't look so sure, but Luna didn't give up. "It's just for a turn or two, love. Once we make him understand that what he's doing is lame, he'll apologise, we'll do the same, and all will be forgiven and forgotten."

"You really think so ?"

"Worked with the others, didn't it ?"

The gentle blonde seemed satisfied with this answer, and nodded, "Okay ! Like, let's do this !"

With everyone on board, Lincoln chose the new option allowed by the ACT Button, _Ignore_. Lola was the first to execute the plan, turning around with a scornful huff. Her siblings followed her action and began engaging false conversations. But Lola was left cold, silently glowing with anger and envy instead of lashing them out. Not something she did often, and in a way, it only allowed the flame of her rage to last longer.

"Like, did she really say that ?" faux-gasped Leni.

"Oh, you bet that wicked brat said it ! And she was _proud_ !" snorted Lori with high sass. "But I didn't let it slide, oh ho ho, _no_..."

"Hey Lynn, what's a coffee's favourite weather when he wakes up ? A _muggy_ morning ! Hahaha !" cracked Luan.

"Wow, that was actually kinda decent !" praised Lynn, actually meaning it. "Do a sports one next !"

"And they left nothing ?" said Lucy with a dash of curiosity.

"Not even the bone !" chirped Lana, excitedly making biting movements with her hands. "Those pirhannas ate the whole thing before I could even blink ! They tore that big piece of meat apart, bits were flying everywhere, and the whole aquarium became red !"

"Huh, maybe I will go to the zoo next time." mulled Lucy with a little smile.

"So, how do you calculate the area of a triangle again ?" inquired Lincoln.

"Lincoln, we've already been over this three months prior to this moment." sighed Lisa. "But, I suppose I cannot let you drown in your own ignorance. First off, to ease up your calculations, you have to analyse which triangle you are dealing with..."

"C'mon lil' sis, show me what you've got ! Rock that harmonica !" encouraged Luna, more excited than she probably should. Lily joyfully obliged, blowing through the funny metal music thingy with everything her little lungs could offer. Her spitting symphony met quite the success, but also promised a thorough cleaning for the now dripping instrument.

* _"You ignore Ice Cap completely. He doesn't look very pleased by that."_

And indeed he wasn't. Ice Cap looked completely dumbfounded by what was happening. One minute, all eyes were on his hat, as they should be. And the next, he was as invisible as a knocked over can on the side of a path ! Well, he wasn't about to let it happen.

"Hey, HEY ! Where are you all looking at ?! My hat is up there !" loudly called Ice Cap, trying to get their attention back on him. In his little tantrum, he went with another Ice Rain attack, with even faster chunks of ice. But to his growing frustration, while dodging them and even getting hit by them, the humans didn't even bother to look back at him.

"Wow, where did that even come from ?" Lori feigned surprise as she rubbed her scratched shoulder.

"No idea." "Beats me !" "Maybe revengeful ghosts..." "Ghosts ?! Where ?!"

'Shrugging it off', Lincoln touched the ACT Button behind him, and re-used the _Ignore_ option. And this time, the message was clear to the forlorn monster.

 _They were ignoring him on purpose._

But why ? All he had done was giving them helpful advice to be more classy, with better headwear. Wasn't it the thing that mattered the most to make a good impression ?! Had he... Had he been too mean when saying it ?

Part of his mind nodded at the notion, but his youthful pride pushed the nagging voice aside. What did it know ? So instead of an apology, another idea bloomed inside his mind. If they were ignoring him, then it was only fair that he did the same !

Swallowing a sob back down his throat, Ice Cap childishly stomped the ground and showed the siblings his own back. " _Fine !_ I-I'll just ignore you too then ! Why should I care about what you think ?!" he vented, his voice certainly **NOT** cracking as he spoke.

He then unleashed another mist attack, but the path seemed much wider. Or rather, it was the mist who was smaller, picturing the little monster's wounded pride and his attempt at hiding it. It of course fooled no one, not even Leni, who wanted nothing more than to scoop the sniffling child into a warm comforting hug.

* _"Ice Cap has lost his shine, as well as the will to fight."_

Lincoln checked his own statement, and saw that Ice Cap's name had indeed gained a golden hue. "Okay, we've got him in the dumps !" he announced, then sighed. "I can't believe I just said that like it's something we should be proud of."

"Then let's hurry and turn that frown upside-down !" urged the braced comedienne, not feeling well with the fact she had worked to make a child cry.

"I agree, but we've gotta be smooth about it." quipped Lana. "If we start praising him again, he'll just go back to being a snobbish jerk."

"And if we lay it too harsh, we're just going to end up with Lucy the gloomy snowman." said Lynn, her seriousness momentarily broken off by the funny image of an actual Lucy snowman, complaining all day about the stillness of her life. "No offense, Luce."

"None taken."

Lincoln nodded fervishly, glad they were all on the same page. "Alright, let's see. How about we-" But his speech was cut short when the crimson gleam returned to his eyes.

* _"A horrible larceny is about to happen. A_ _ **fashion larceny.**_ _"_

Shocked, boy and girls looked behind them. The ACT panel layed open, and the crime's nature was immediately revealed by the chosen action : _Steal._ Everything clicked into place when they saw a pink blur dashing ahead.

Ice Cap's inner grumbling stopped when he felt a strong breeze hitting him from behind. Something immediately felt wrong. His body didn't ache as though he had been struck, yet he felt like something very important had been taken away from him. Ice Cap patted his head for good measure, and horror grew on his face when he felt his hand brushing the top of it.

" **MY HAT !** " shrieked the monster in full-blown panic.

The nefarious pink blur finished its course right behind the human pack, and revealed exactly who they thought it was.

"Lola, not cool ! Why did you take his hat ?! And why are you... drooling like that ?" said Luna, not really liking the mad look the little blonde had.

" _At last, it's mine ! All_ _ **mine !**_ _"_ crazily laughed the princess. Her hair was disheveled, and pure madness was dancing the tango in her eyes, a dead ringer to the time she had been the last girl standing on their Anti-annoying-quirk bet (or so everyone thought). And firmly trapped in her grip, was Ice Cap's priceless crown.

"Oh for pete- tell me you are so not going crazy _**now.**_ " moaned Lori, rubbing her eyelids.

" _Who's crazy ?! I've never felt so sane in all my life !_ " cackled Lola, her twitchy eye and heavy breathing not really supporting her statement.

"Riiiight, sane..." drawled Luan. "Sis, I think you should put the hat down for just a moment-"

" _STAY BACK !_ " barked Lola, making everyone take a step back. " _IT'S MINE ! YOU WON'T HAVE IT ! You won't have the precious..._ " Her voice dropped into a whisper as she softly carressed her prize. " _It's okay, I won't let them take you. We'll be together forever~_ "

"Yeesh, that hat is turning her brain into ego-marmalade." said Lynn.

"I knew glitter was evil, I just knew it !" Lana shook her fists in the air, cursing the sparkles themselves for taking over her sister's mind.

"Lala ! Hat bad !" cried Lily, trying to reach out for her big sister.

" _NO ! You will not stop me with your_ _ **lies**_ _, Lily !_ " she snapped back, making her baby sister whimper in fright.

"Lola, you must stop ! Look at what you are becoming, all over a pink amalgam of solid water !" shouted Lucy, her recent hatred for demons fueling her passion to exorcise Lola off her own.

The sibs all tried to concur, but all their comments were lost on Lola's mind, shrouded in glitterful thoughts of pure power. " _I know what I'm becoming !_ _ **Perfect**_ _is what I'm becoming ! Do you not see it ?!_ " she brandished the crystaline hat, like the divine headdress it was, to her at least. " _Look at it ! Feel it !_ _ **Envy**_ _it ! Everything about this hat is perfection ! Its gleam, its grandeur-_ "

"Its very low resistance to corporal heat." dryly remarked Lisa.

" _Exactly ! Its-_ wait, what ?" Lola broke out of her trance, and looked at the hat. A shrill scream reverbated across the area when she saw the melting mess it had become. The shock was so important that she let it go completely, and it splashed on the ground, returning to its state of strangely pink water.

In desperation, Lola tried to put it back together, adding some snow to give it consistance. But when it pathetically toppled over the third time, she was forced to admit that it was a lost cause. In the only way a crushed Lola could.

" **NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !** " was hollered to the Heavens, rumbling the whole ceiling with the despair of a little girl's broken dreams. She then crashed face first into the remainings of her paragon of beauty, under the unimpressed yet slightly pitiful looks of her siblings.

"Well, so much for that." shrugged Lynn.

"Yep, a heck lot of drama for a hat. And I should know." said Lana, giving a little nudge to the peak of her red cap. But as she did, she noticed someone else who didn't look too well. "Uh, are you okay ?" she asked out of slight concern.

"My hat..." whispered Ice Cap, his heartbroken and heartbreaking look locked on the puddle that used to be his pride.

 **Hats.** Hats were _everything_ in Ice Cap's family. If your hat was great, you were great. And his hat had been the greatest since seven generations, due to its perfect shape and its reddish hue. After all, red was a highly respected colour amongst the monsters, and he couldn't be prouder to wear it.

Or rather couldn't _have been_. Now, it had melted. Melted ! _What a world._ Liquid started falling down the little monster's wide sad eyes.

Luna gasped softly. "Hey now, it's alright little guy. No need to get that cute face all wet. There are loads of hats out there, I'm sure you'll find an even hOLY COW !"

Luna's sudden shout was due to the amounts of liquid dripping down Ice Cap's face. But those were not tears; it was his very face dripping away ! In a matter of seconds, the monster child's entire body was melting away, falling to the floor like a block of ice under a lamp. The Louds kept watching, horrified by what was unfolding before their eyes, but unable to turn away. In their minds, they were witnessing the monster equivalent of a heart attack, and there soon would be but a mere pile of dust left. And once again, they would be powerless to stop it.

But no, the dramatic end would not happen twice today. Once Ice Cap's body had reached a complete liquified state, instead of drying itself into white dust, it rendered itself solid once more. But no round shapes or body structure; a big, pitiful ice cube was what it became.

" _No hat, no style, no shape, only cold._ " was the quiet breeze coming from the ex-monster (?). " _So c-cold..._ "

* _"Ice Cap is no more. There's only ice. And all its regrets..."_

If they had been touched by guilt before, the siblings' shoulders were now being crushed under it.

"Oh my gosh..." whispered Lori, a trembling hand on her mouth. "When he said this hat was his pride, he wasn't exagerating one bit."

"Seconds ago, he was boasting about its originality and prestance. And now he's got nothing, reduced to the dullest of ice cubes. Only its ice is not made of water, but of tears." said Lucy, sounding a tad moved.

"And I can't even hug him, because he'll m-m-melt if I do." babbled Leni, her eyes already pouring waterfalls of tears onto the snow down under. The poor girl was confronted with a hug paradox. A **hugradox,** she woefully dubbed it. "We've gotta do something !"

"Such a question needs not to be asked, dear sister, but I must slightly alter your grammar." A shine passed over Lisa's glasses. " _We_ are not needed to act, for _we_ did not cause this."

"I see what you mean, sis." nodded Lincoln. He turned around to look at the pink lump of woe he called his sister. Only Lily stood near her, having already forgiven her sister for her outburst, and was giving her a little pat on the back. Lincoln approached her, and said, "Lola, we need to talk."

"I don't want to." replied Lola, her cracking voice muffled by the ground she was stamping her head on. "Can't you see I'm having a great time, splashing my tears against the remains of my hopes and dreams ?"

Lincoln sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Lola, you know that's not true."

"You don't know me !"

"As your brother, your pageant coach, and the guy who's been changing some of your diapers, I think I know you enough to know that losing a hat doesn't mean the end of your dreams. You boast way too loud about them evey day." chuckled Lincoln.

" _Shut up !_ "

Lincoln shook his head in further amusement. He knew that when Lola Loud started dialing her tone to shrill levels, that meant he was pushing the right buttons. "Lola, I know you're... what's the word again, Lis' ?"

"Materialistic."

"Yeah, that. But seriously, after everything you've done to collect those crowns, the ones you do own, are you really going to completely give up ? **Just for a hat ?** "

"... _But it was a really shiny ha-a-a-at !_ " openly sobbed the little princess, adding her tears to the growing pink puddle.

Lincoln smiled sympathetically. Lola took pride in trying to act like a true lady : a graceful, independent adult, whose financial skills only equaled her fashion skills. Even when asking for a cookie, she would try to make it sound like a business order. She had to be in control; someone who wasn't in control didn't get respect, and that was a demand to be crushed in the pageant world.

But ever so often, the little girl inside her would show her face. Through a smile, through fearful quaking, or through tears. And Lincoln knew exactly how to handle all three. He began by gently lifting his sister off the ground, revealing her mascara-smeared face. Then, he went to work with her own frilly hanky, rubbing away wet make-up and snot alike. Finally, he gave her a little talk that only a big brother could give.

"It's not the end of the world, and it's certainly not the end of yours. There's still a lot to do, and a lot to see. We've still gotta get out of here, remember ?" Lola slowly nodded her head, but was still silent. But Lincoln had a pretty good idea where to poke the words out of her mouth. "Besides, if we stay down here, who's gonna win all those Michigan Pageants ?" Lola sprung up straight, eyes wide with shock. "Maybe... Lindsey Sweetwater ?"

" _NEVER !_ " shouted Lola, shaking her fists with the ever-lasting rage she held for her sworn enemy. "I'd rather kiss the flee-infested monkey that lives in my room than let a single one of my crowns fall into the manicured claws of that prissy frump !"

"Hey, I had all my shots !" rebuked Lana.

"The _actual_ monkey you have, Lana."

"Oh, right."

"So, ready to forget about that big crystal hat ?" coyly smiled Lincoln, glad to see his sister revatilised, even if it was through anger.

Lola gave a melancholic sigh. "No, of course not. I'll never forget that incredible jewel, and it'll be forever in my dreams. But," her tone regained vitality, "you're right. It's not worth crying a river about it, or planting my face on what's left of it forever. After all, the world still needs it; it still needs me !" she boasted without a trace of shame. Her blue SOUL's gleam went a couple gigawatts higher as she did so. Her smile then turned a tad sheepish. "I must've looked so pathetic down there. Thanks Lincoln !"

She went to embrace her brother, but was stopped by the boy himself. "I appreciate the gesture, and you're very welcome; but hugs will have to wait."

Lola stared, dumbfounded. What ever could be so important to delay tender sister-brother affection ? Her confusion only grew when she remarked her sisters, now circling her, and their deadpan looks. "What ?" she uttered. "Is this about what I said ? Look, I'm sorry for calling you liars." Silence. "And for losing my mind over a hat." Still nothing. "And for exploding at Lily." The baby nodded once, but said nothing else. And that was just about how much silent treatement she could take. "As far as I know, I didn't steal your tongues. So would you _please_ spill it already ?!"

"You dun goofed, sis. You've goofed real bad." said Luan with the upmost seriousness. "Also, nice pun. Don't go _stealing_ my material now, hehe."

"What you did brought despair so raw, it wrecked someone from inside out." Lola could feel Lucy breathing down her neck, litteraly. " _ **I**_ am not pleased by it. Think about that."

"W-Wha ? Who did I hurt ? You look all fine !" countered Lola, still not grasping the point of this little finger pointing session. She cringed a little when encountering her second oldest sister's damp mug. "Except you; you look terrible." she commented earnestly.

"How could you be so heartless ?!" blubbered Leni, before confusing herself. "Well, you do have a heart, 'cause it's floating right there... but still ! You've been totes mean to that poor little monster !"

Realisation hit the six year-old like a ton of bricks... okay, judging by her reaction, it was more like a kilo of pillows. Still noticeable ! "Oh, that's all ? Is he throwing a tantrum or something ? I'm going to apologise, don't worry ! Jeez, you made it sound like someone died or something." chortled the little princess.

The siblings exchanged knowingly deadpan glances to eachother. "You're about to chew those words, princess." said Luna, as she made way for Lola to see the mess she had created.

Lola angled her head. "He layed an ice cube, then ran away ?" was the most plausible solution coming to her mind.

"He **IS** the ice cube, Lola." dryly stated Lori, forgetting all about tact for a moment, as it was the best way for someone like Lola to quickly understand. "About a minute ago, we saw him _melting_ into it, out of the _**despair**_ of losing his hat." She sighed. "And at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if it was some sort of family heirloom, or a present left by his grand-mother on her deathbed or something like that."

" _Don't say thaaaaat !_ " Leni burst into tears.

"Wow, cool it with the sprinklers sis !" said Luna, shielding her face from the tear showers her sister could somehow produce. "I'm gonna be an ice statue too if you keep it up !"

Lola looked at the lamenting ice block in complete incredulity. She just couldn't believe it. Being able to melt your own body into an ice cube out of sheer despair ? That was ridiculous ! Zany ! Down right illogical !

...And since they were in the Underground, it was only par to the course. Not to mention that Lisa had touched a word about Monsters' attacks and magic tying to their emotions; a theory they had wholefully observed during Goat Mom's final flurry of attacks.

All in all, Lola could only find herself agreeing with Luan's earlier statement. She had goofed up,

 _hard_. "Can I even fix him ?" she murmured a little too loud for her own taste.

"You will not know until you try, sister." said Lisa, the neutrality in her voice not really putting her big sister's worries at ease.

"But I barely know anything about apologising !"

"Aw c'mon, you did pretty well with Lori and Tori, and that was earlier today." quipped Lynn.

"Yeah, but it was a group effort !" stubbornly pouted Lola.

"How about when we nearly botched up our teamwork to get in the Blue Bell scouts ?" recalled Lana, forcing a grin out of her sister. They had certainly gained some braids since that day, especially in cookie selling, so much so that the 'Twin Effect' actually got recognised as an official commercial move for the Blue Bells' industries across the planet.

But Lola shook her head, and regained her mulish attitude. "But we were both in the wrong ! And we wrapped the whole thing up in a couple of seconds ! This is completely-"

" _What about the Secret secrets club incident ?_ " dropped Lincoln, his eyes slightly reddish for an instant, before widening in surprise. "Huh ? Why did I …?"

Though inadvertently, the reminder had hit right at home, and gave the little princess some pause for thought. The scheme she had pulled off that day was like any other, but it was the first one that had gotten her on the other end of a tattletale strike, served with a crushing order of loneliness and some guilt on the side. And by going through the good route, one that a week beforehand, she would have been scoffing at, she had earned far more valuable than servants and majordomes being at her beck and call : her siblings' **trust**.

And once again, she was being tasked to do the right thing, by admitting that she was wrong. Only this time, it would be out of the family circle, and to a cube who could be out of square with what she had to say.

(* _Geometrical Rimshot*_ )

"Welp, here goes nothing..." Lola inhaled deeply, and calmly breathed out. She advanced to the ACT button, and chose _Compliment_ ,the option she had just made for Ice Cap. Oh wait, it was just _ice_ now. Nervosity showed in every step she took to approach _ice_ , almost tripping herself twice on the short distance, and her knees were almost buckling when she knew she was at an adequate distance to talk. But feeling the eyes of her siblings on her, hoping for her success, filled Lola with you-know-what.

' _Okay Lola, you've got this._ ' Lola's mind steeled itself.' _Just think of it as a talent show; first impressions are everything ! And this ain't some regional easy win, you're going to need your A-game for this one ! Start with a compliment, something nice about him._ '

"HI !" derped Lola. "LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE LOST WEIGHT, THAT'S GREAT !"

' _Oh yeah, smooth as a sheep's back, you're getting straight 10's on that one, Britney._ ' echoed Lola's mind with dripping sarcasm.

The ice cube barely shuffled, and spoke meekly. "Weight...? I don't weigh anything. Because I'm not worth anything. And I probably never was..."

* _"The Napsta-force is strong in this one. Your entrance, not so much."_

Lola shot a dark glare at Lincoln, who shrunk away with a sheepish shrug. One day, she'd get her hands around that ghost person's neck. Just they wait...

But she had better to do, as her suddenly lighter heart reminded her. A white thread swirled in the air, looking for a cheek to slap with its coldness. But it moved so slowly, Lola only had to side-step by an inch to avoid it. She watched as it pathetically dropped on the floor, and disappeared in the snow. It had nothing to stand out, so it vanished from everyone's eye...

"Do you really have to write now ?" quietly asked Lincoln.

"I'll stop when this place stops giving me inspiration." Lucy whispered back.

The attack over, the Louds' next turn began. Lincoln opened the ACT panel, but found no other options than the ubiquitous _Check_. It didn't take much for him and the girls to understand what was going on; Lola's silent and jittery form was also a big clue.

"Wow, since when does _Lola_ get short on words ?" murmured Lynn, knowing how hard it was to even come close from winning an argument against the little princess, without either a parental figure getting mixed in, or her starting to bite left and right.

"Yeah, she kinda looks like me when I had to speak to the entire class about some old guy who discovered how to make big bombs." remembered Leni with a shudder. "Like, the only thing I could say about the guy was that he was really smart, but he was one lousy selfie taker. Who sticks their tongue out ?"

"It would make less sense if she litteraly could do it as smoothly as one of her victory speeches." remarked Lori, promptly ignoring Leni's own conundrum,, and watching ahead with slight worry on her otherwise calm expression. "She's got the gift of gab, but just because she's done it before, doesn't mean that she's an immediate expert at apologising. Especially to someone that crushed and morose."

"True. She needs help." stated Lucy.

"But we mustn't forget that we cannot barge into the conversation. It would be quite the blow to our sister's amour-propre if we were to interrupt her, or even try to steer the discussion in a way that denies her the credit of making this monster feel better." theorised Lisa, with acuity that left no place for doubt.

"Well, does anyone have any idea, or are we just going in _circles_ ? Get it ? Because he's a cube ?" cracked Luan, followed by the usual groans. "No but really, any idea ?"

"We can't talk at all..." Lana rubbed her chin and gave her best pensive pout. She could feel the muddy gears inside her mind turning, but all she was getting as a result was smoke. But while her brain was no help, her eyes fell on her little orange SOUL. The smog was gone in the snap of fingers she was producing.

Buried under her mountain of anxiousness, Lola found a thread of hope to hang onto when she heard a sharp whistle, the one slithering through a tooth gap she knew all too well. She shyly turned her head towards her twin, and watched her movements. She felt a pang of annoyance at first. This wasn't the time for a mime act ! And besides, why was Lana doing it ? She always got uneasy every time Luan decided to perform it .

One tap on her forehead, then a shake of the head, then pointing at her SOUL, and finally a hearty nod ? What did that...

 _Oh. Ooooh..._

Lola felt her own little floating heart brightening up, and gave a grateful nod to Lana, who made a ' _Ah, shucks_ ' wave of her hand. Assertiveness came back to the classy blonde, and she fluidly turned back to the weeping monster. No more chanting by heart; time to wow the judges with some Lola-esque originality.

A new option appeared on the ACT panel, one that took Lincoln by surprise. But any remark he had for it, he swallowed it right back down his throat. It wasn't his call, and it wasn't his action. He just hoped that Lola knew what she was doing. With that in mind, Lincoln pressed the glimmering option, _Wake up_.

"Alright buster, time to cut off the drama ! There's enough water on the ground, thank you very much !" said Lola, her haughty tone coming as an icy waking-up call to monster and humans alike.

"H-Huh ?..." meekly replied _ice_ as he slightly shifted his position.

"You heard me, it's time for you to get a grip in life !" asserted Lola, slinging an accusing finger at the shocked glass-cooler. "First off, I wanna see eyes, not your back !"

"B-But I am looking at you..."

"And yet I can't tell the difference ! See ?! Your depression is only causing problems to everybody !"

"I-I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." sniffled _ice_ with

"Okay, what kind of a crummy apology is that ?!" said Lynn, wincing at how hard she'd just slapped her forehead. "She sounds like she's strong-arming him !"

"She _is_ coming off hecka strong !" admitted Luna, just as weirded out by the sudden outburst. Not pulling any punches was something Lola was known to usually do, to a few exceptions. But for this situation to not be one of those exceptions was catching the rocker off-guard. But, according to the thoughtful brow she was gaining, that didn't last. "But maybe she's onto something..."

"You sure about that ?" cringed Luan as she looked at the wetness appearing in the snow under _ice_ 's form. Whether it was melting or tears, it only made the whole situation sadder.

But Lola was not moved by this. Not at all. "NO !" she shouted. "What did I **just** say ?! No tears ! No crying ! Slurp that water back in there !" Her orders were followed to the letter, and the tears came back from whence they came. Lola nodded. "That's better ! Now, let's talk for real, human to monster, kid to kid, and most importantly, fashion-lover to fashion-lover."

"Fashion ?" said _ice_ , a dash of interest in his voice, before crushing it himself under a glacier of melancholy. "What's the point in that ? My hat's gone. It melted away, and with it, everything I was. I'm just a sad little nobody now..."

"Yes, you are. But," she added before the little confidence in _ice_ could be axed off by her blunt comment, "not in the way you think you are." She sat near him, knowing that some closure was in order for her message to be fully understood.

"Look, I get it. I know how it's like to be beautiful, to do everything to keep that beauty at all costs, and to brag about it as loud as you can. You want to be noticed, loved, appreciated, and it's the easiest way to win some hearts. Following me so far ?"

 _Ice_ moved its form up and down. Lola understood it as an awkward nod.

"But most of the time, flowing hair and a sweet little face are not enough. It doesn't matter how cute you are; if you dress in garbage, people will still turn their noses away from you. They just do, and that's why you need stylish garments to make it big. Dresses, coats, fashionable shoes... and sometimes, a good-looking hat." She stopped an instant for any pitiful whine to be heard, but it never came. Good, she was making progress. "In case it wasn't clear by the fact I stole it – I'm _**really**_ sorry about that by the way – I loved your hat. It was a piece of art, and it made me go a _teensy_ bit crazy for it." A frown then grew on her face. "Care to tell me what's so funny, o dear siblings ?"

Lincoln bit back a snort, and collected himself. "Nothing, nothing, keep going."

Thankfully, Lola let it slide. For now. "Yeah, that hat was amazing. A little too amazing, maybe. And I was just as broken as you over it ! Or so I thought, apparently..." she sighed sadly, feeling _ice_ 's aura of misery radiating still. "Be real with me : why was that hat so important to you ?"

"...It was my family's pride." muttered _ice_ wistfully. "Not a family heirloom or anything, but a tradition gone amazingly right. See, us Ice Caps don't have much going for us. We aren't outcasts or anything, nobody bully us, but we just aren't much. I mean, we're small, pudgy, not very agile, and our magic is far from being Royal Guard material. We have only one thing that distinguish us from talking snow poffs : **Our Hats.** " A lone lily of passion bloomed in his tone. "Every Ice Cap is born with their hat, and that hat is considered to be their greatest possession. My mom told me that it's our own way to show our worth to the rest of the Underground. Some choose magic, other choose strength, and some use very bad jokes." Luan sneezed. "We chose our fair hats, and mine was the fairest we've seen in a long, long time. And it's gone..." he gave a long and shaky sigh. "I've lost what made me, _me_... I can't even use my family name now..." Cracks began to spread through his words again. " _What am I gonna tell Mom and Dad ?_ "

No answer. Lola had no immediate answer for this. All she did was poking the ground, seemingly in the false hope that an answer would rear its helpful head from under the snow. But her mind was all too full at work, despite the guilt crippling some of its cogs. With all the facts revealed to her, Lola now understood how much she had done goofed. She had not just crushed the budding dreams of a child, she had apparently ended a tradition that went back to a time she could only imagine how long ago.

What could you say to that ? What apology could you hope to give to earn some forgiveness for such a horrible crime ? Or at least one that didn't imply her cutting her entire scalp to offer it as a replacement wig. No, she needed something less drastic, but with a long-lasting impact. And as Lana had mimed to her, it needed to come from her very heart...

The bell whistle of an idea rung through the pink-clad human's mind. Of course ! What was the most important thing to her heart, second only to her family ?

"FASHION !" she answered out loud, promptly freaking _ice_ right out of his mourning. She blushed a little, " Heh, sorry. But yeah, I think I've got the way to not only claim back your pride, but also make your family even prouder !"

Despite not having any, _ice_ 's eyes widened with wonder. It almost sounded too good to be true, but in his sad state, any solution was a good solution. Except maybe asking ' _he-who's-too-obnoxious-to-be-named_ ' for help. _Ice_ nudged the little human to pursue.

"I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier, it's so obvious ! You need a brand new wardrobe !" squealed Lola in euphoric illumination.

"Huh ?" _ice_ arched itself. Lola patted the top of his cubic form with a smile.

"Hear your Auntie Lola out : Your hat tradition, how long has it been going on ? Two, three centuries ?"

"Uh, more like seven ?"

"Exactly ! And it's about time we dust it up ! Your hats, from what I saw, are great. But trust me, there's better."

 _Ice_ gasped. "There is ?!"

"You bet ! From where I come, fashion never dishes out perfection. It's always changing, always looking different. Sure, some styles become classics, but there are always new surprises, new combos coming every month, every week even ! But none of it is ever perfect. Heck, I'm not perfect either !"

Sharp gasps rose from the human pack, now collectively holding their hearts. Lola had just admitted she wasn't perfect. They instinctively looked up to catch the sight of a flying pig playing the banjo that would assure them the true prelude of the World's end.

"But you know what makes me look and feel like it ?" she asked.

"A very pretty face that you doll up every morning ?" tried the monster.

Lola blushed upon hearing this, but stayed on track. "Well yes, but also a very diversified style. I mean sure, the pink gown in my bag is my usual choice, but when the weather or the crowd asks for it, I'm always prepared to dazzle them. Like those winter clothes !" she striked a pose. "I didn't choose them, but I knew they'd fit me, because they shouted _ME_. And those aren't the only ones. There is no one style making me. Just because one disappears or melts away, doesn't mean that Lola Loud vanishes as well. _And that's the same for you._ "

Every inch of _ice_ 's attention was on the smiling blond angel now. He hung on every word that came from her lips, feeling his white SOUL warming up hearing them. And so did his cheeks, as he now noticed how pretty those lips were.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you, more than I've ever been before. I took and destroyed something very precious to you; and the only way I can make up for it, is to get you back on your feet. In more ways than one." she gently said. "Ice, losing your hat didn't turn you into a plain ice block : You did that to yourself. You don't have to be like that, you shouldn't. And moping about isn't going to solve anything." she chuckled, giving an embarrassed pull on her coat's collar. She could smell the irony stinking from her words.

But she could not halt her effort now. "If something gets in your way, you don't sit next to it and lament over how unfair life is ; you kick it down in style ! Your hat's gone ? Make another ! A better one ! A masterpiece that'll gratify your family for a million years to come !" she thundered with passion, squishing the sides of the blushing ice block. "And not just hats ! Make jackets ! Scarves ! Gowns ! Socks ! Whatever your heart tells you to do ! Just, avoid leggings. Seriously, never do leggings, kiddo. But other than that, have no limits ! Don't follow the trend, **MAKE** the trend !" She forced her euphoria to dial down to a kinder tone, as she wrapped her arms around _ice_ 's 'body', and pressed her forehead on the cold surface. She took no notice of its intense pinkening. "Do it, and you won't even have to peep a word to make them understand how beautiful you are."

At this instant, Lola could've sworn she had heard bells ringing from very far away, celebrating a success she had no idea about. Or perhaps she did. What she did know however, was that she could feel _ice_ 's form shift, morph under her very arms. She didn't open her eyes for it, she let it happen. She tapped into a feeling allowed by a piece of her SOUL's red lining, the one that allowed her to wait for the transformation to wrap itself up, before she allowed to brush it with a glance. Only when she felt two shoulders being grasped by her gloved hands, did she allow her eyes to flutter open.

And her gaze met the real Ice Cap's, making them slowly disconnect their foreheads. No cap resided on his bald little head, but it didn't seem to bother him in the least. In fact, he seemed happier than ever. As if he had found something even more precious.

"Heh, thanks... _Lola_." he was almost too shy to say her name. "...You know, I was kinda lying before. Your hat is pretty great too."

Lola fought her lips from taking a Leni-kind of goofy smile, and played it off with a cocky smile. "Why thank you. I feel generous today, so I'll forget you ever said wrong of it. Never do it again though, or I'll really give you something to cry about." she shook her fist, but more in a joking manner than a threat.

The two giggled at this, and the Louds watched the scene unfold with a tender eye.

"That was one of the sassiest ways I've ever seen someone say sorry." chuckled Luna. "Typical Lola. And I mean that in the raddest way possible."

"They grow up so fast..." warmly sighed Leni, wiping her eyes with her hanky.

As for Lana, she felt happy for her sister. She had managed to strike a friendship from the oddest places, and that only made the little tomboy's smile grow prouder. The glint of malice in it though was reserved for the load of teasing material she was cooking up for her fellow twin. Yeah, like she wasn't picking up the small pink hue highlighting their cheeks.

* _"Ice Cap has been woken up inside. Ice Cap has been saved."_

Lincoln completely agreed with himself, discarded how unhealthy it sounded, and went for the MERCY button. _Spare_ was as golden as he knew it would be, and lost no time in giving it a hearty push.

* _YOU WON ! You've won 0 EXP and 35 Gold._

 **Fight over.**

"Wait, how many Gold again ?!" blurted out the sole brother.

"So, are you ready to dazzle the world ?" said Lola teasingly.

"I'M GOING TO MAKE THE WHOLE UNDERGROUND BLIND !" shouted Ice Cap. It seemed that Lola's earlier burst of passion had infected him. "And I already have an idea ! No, three ideas ! Ah, so many ideas in my head right now !"

"Woah, keep it cool, snow boy !" said Lola, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. "I like your moxie, but fashion is a field that requires elegance, remember ?" The springs on the young monster's feet slowly vanished, and he nodded fervishly. "Good. Now go ! Make me proud !" The two exchanged one last handshake, but before Ice Cap could completely disappear in the distance, she felt the need to add, " _And there better be a dress for me in that collection !_ "

" _You bet ! But don't count on a discount !_ "

Lola gasped in outrage... then fondly smiled ahead. In her hand, sat a little pouch full of Gold, and she could feel its whole mouthwatering sum. Why wasn't her mouth watering for it though ? Why wasn't she opening it up right this instant, and maybe shower herself with that sweet gold ? Maybe... maybe there was more to life than good looks and sparkling riches...

 _ **Yeah, right !**_ But still, her happiness rested not solely on what she had earned, but what she had given as well. "Go get 'em, snow boy." she murmured.

Her siblings quickly joined her, and were just as quick to congratulate her. She of course danced under the spotlight she was being put under like it was the most natural thing in the world, but it was nothing they didn't expect. Nor was the sourness blooming on her face when Lori cleared her throat meaningfully. Worst still, her puppy eyes were still not winning her any favour, and she was forced to pay the _Lousy Lori Tax_. A fitting name in her book.

And finally, she was surprised when she saw a lone coin being handed back to her, accompanied by Lori's big sister smile. "Lucy got to keep one, I think it's litteraly natural you do too. Plus, you've earned it."

Lola hug-tackled Lori before both of them could even understand what was going on, and the Louds were finally free to leave the Ball zone, with a big smile on a little girl's face, smaller ones on other faces...

 _And a red flagpole waving behind, despite the lack of wind..._

* * *

There were two reliefs in the Louds' minds when they entered the next area. First, it was small, bare of any time-consuming challenges, or fight-promising guard stations, and with a simple exit ahead. Even the snow was scarce here, sweeped into the corners.

And their second relief came in the sight of two grinning skeletons waiting for them.

"NYEH HEH HEH, THERE YOU ALL ARE, HUMANS !" loudly welcomed Papyrus. "YOU CERTAINLY TOOK A WHILE. I THOUGHT PERHAPS YOU HAD GOTTEN LOST !"

"Nope, we've just been checkin' what Snowdin could offer, and throw in our faces." snickered Luna.

"Playing games..." said Lynn, rolling her eyes.

"Giving inspiration..." pursued Lola with a proud grin.

"Digging through other people's stuff..." dropped Lana nonchalantly.

"Ice C'eam..." drooled Lily, checking her fingers for any remanant of chocolate. But alas, the past her had just been a too good licker. Curse you, past Lily !

"WOWIE, THAT SOUNDS ALL DELIGHTFUL ! MINUS THE PART ABOUT BREAKING SOMEONE'S PRIVACY. THAT'S KINDA WRONG." Papyrus said with a side-glance. "OH BY THE WAY, DID YOU SEE WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THAT SHOUTING EARLIER ? I'D LIKE TO MEET THEM ! THEY ALMOST SOUNDED AS INSPIRED AS ME !"

The siblings exchanged rather nervous glances. Papyrus was a great fellow, and Sans was okay, but they weren't sure they wanted to unravel everything about them. Like parts about a Ghost Narrator possessing one of them, or the power to alter time and space itself. Heck, they weren't even ready to be told why Leni always had sunglasses with her !

They needed a cover story, one that would require perfect coordination between them, something they definitely knew how to pull off. When did that not ever work ?

The answer was, when no such story had been made in advance.

"It was an octopus !"

"Yeah, huge as a house !"

"With daffodil-hued skin !"

"And, uh, he wanted to form a band !"

"So he sang at the top of his lungs to get people to join them !"

"But it didn't work, 'cause he didn't know how to sing !"

"A-A-And he was freaky, 'cause he had anime-eyes !"

"And a very high-pitched voice !"

"So he got depressed, and flew back home."

"In the river, to _ink_ about what he had done !"

"Bah-bye 'topus !"

Tense silence fell on the area, as all the Louds, minus Lily, gave the two skeletons big nervous grins, minus Lily, who was making jazz hands to celebrate the story's end. The quirky duo blinked, their expressions frozen into place.

"I don't think they're buying it." nervously whispered Lincoln.

"You think ?" whispered Lori back, not losing her smile either.

Finally, Sans broke the ice, delivering the sentence that sealed their fates... and that was that weirdness never stopped in the Underground. "see paps ? told ya it was onion-san."

"I HAD NO IDEA HE COULD FLY NOW ! GOOD FOR HIM !" rejoiced Papyrus, completely oblivious to the sighs of relief of the humans, currently crumbling to the ground. "BUT IN ANY CASE, HUMANS, LET US CUT TO THE CHASE ! OR RATHER, TO THE PUZZLE !"

The kids pulled themselves back on their feet, and observed the stone gap between them and the brothers. Once again, this image seemed to lack an important element.

"Is it invisible again ?" asked Lucy in her monotone.

Papyrus opened his eyes, and whipped his head from left to right, and back. Only when he had done so about five times did he let his confident smile disappear. "SANS ? IS THE PUZZLE INVISIBLE ?"

"nope." answered his brother.

"THEN WHERE _IS IT ?!_ "

"riiiight there." Sans lazily pointed to the slim white object in the center of the area. Curious, the humans advanced, and retrieved the leaflet. What they found made eyebrows fly up in sheer confusion.

"A... word search ?" said Lincoln.

"A word search ?" parroted his sisters.

"A WORD SEARCH ?! SANS, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS ?!" Papyrus pratically leapt in the air, and landed with a very serious placement of his gloves against both sides of his pelvis.

Sans' chesire grin didn't falter. "bro, trust me, all part of the plan. there's no way they'll get through it. they're as good as yours." he whispered with a wink.

Papyrus had doubts, BIG doubts about his brother's claim. It sounded awfully similar the ' _just five more minutes, paps_ ' he'd hear for about two hours in the morning. Then in the afternoon. And even when he'd wake up, it would be to move to the couch for a nap, forcing the puzzle master to carry him around like a big, lazy handbag.

But on the other hand... Papyrus ADORED surprises ! So excitement gleamed into his eyes as he waited to see whatever astounding achievement would be playing before him.

Meanwhile, the siblings decided to play along, but in a way that would make their time worthwile. And nothing made mundane activities more worthwile in the Loud House, than some good ol' competition.

"Ready, sis ?" asked Lana, thumb hovering above the timer, while Luan kept the word search face blank.

"Does an hexagon have six sides ?" replied Lisa as she clicked the nib of her pen out, the little stain of ink at the end shimmering at the battle it was about to fight.

"...Yes ?"

"Precisely."

"Can she really beat her own record ?" murmured Leni, hitching her breath in suspense.

"Only she knows the answer..." said Lincoln.

"And... GO !"

Luan fleetly turned the paper over, and just as hastily retreated before Lisa's pen made its first strike. Papyrus was waiting for a show, and boy was he getting one. Every word, every letter of the word search was being analysed, shambled, then put together in hundreds of possibilities until the right combinations were found. And the whole operation was only the matter of a half-second.

Next was the flurry of ink attacks she unleashed, all lines to cross the different words. But despite her haste, no crook could be found in those perfect lines. Lisa's hand was fast, yet precise. Powerful, yet delicate. Calculated, yet flowing. It was like a perfectly orchestrated dance, and every right note could be heard, despite the fact that it was over before her audience even knew it.

The click of the pen followed the one of the timer, and all stood in baited breath for the result... until Lynn, peeking over Lana's shoulder, announced it with the intensity of her own victories, "Perfect lines in 3.74 seconds ! It's a new world record !"

As boy and girls cheered like a goal had been scored, Lisa simply blowed on the smoking tip of her trusty pen, and tapped it back into her coat pocket with a most satisfied expression. "As if there ever was any doubt." she patted her own back, then felt her little sister hugging her, and patted the top of her hood. "One day, you too shall be a semantic expert, I will make it one of my priorities when the time comes." Lily did not know what kind of biscuit that was, but she giggled in agreement all the same.

"BRAVO, BRAVO ! ENCORE !" applauded Papyrus, tearing up as he joined the celebration, surprising the humans who had not seen him nor Sans approach. Leni especially was having an inner conundrum between snuggling up to the lanky skeleton, or making herself as little as a mouse behind Lori. "PUZZLE SOLVING IN ALL ITS SPLENDOUR, HOW BEAUTIFUL !"

"yep, i've got _no words_ right now." winked Sans. (* _Rimshot_ *)

"AND AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE TOO ! IT'S SO RARE TO FIND CHILDREN THAT ARE INTO PUZZLES THOSE DAYS ! IF ONLY I HAD MY COOKING USTENSILS, I WOULD CALL FOR CELEBRATION !"

Sans activated a small party popper, raining a couple of confettis onto Lisa's hair. "congrats. you're a nerd."

The little genius quickly brushed it off, and gleamed ever so slightly at Papyrus' praise. "Your compliments are most appreciated, Papyrus." she said, drooping to her neutral tone when she turned to adress the lazy half of the duo. "Sans, you... Sans." she drawled, sighed when Sans gave her a thumbs up, and handed the paper back to Papyrus. "By the way, there seems to be a slight typographical error at _'giasfclfebrehber_ '. You might want to give the editor a call."

"I CERTAINLY WILL, ASTUTE LITTLE CHILD ! NYEH HEH HEH !" Papyrus laughed joyously, which was almost infections. Then, his joy descended into confusion. "WAIIIIIIT..." And finally, it turned into righteous fury. "SANS ! YOU SAID THAT IT WOULD STOP THEM, AND IT BARELY SLOWED THEM DOWN !"

Sans snapped his fingers, not even giving his action the effort to produce any sound. "darn, my bad. should've gone with plan c."

"What's plan C ?" asked Lincoln, feeling like he already knew the answer.

"crossword. they had a killer one in the paper of today."

Luan's following laughter was supported by snickers from the others, but it mostly came to the comically appalled expression Papyrus was wearing. "WHAT ?! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT ?! WHAT A CRUEL LACK OF SERIOUSNESS, BROTHER !"

Lori blinked in surprise. "Wow, a breakthrough ?"

"IT IS OBVIOUS THAT **JUNIOR JUMBLE** WOULD BE A MUCH BETTER CHOICE !"

"Aaand, I fell for it." she sighed.

Actual surprise appeared on Sans' face, the action more surprising to the Louds than the reason. "huh ? junior jumble ? the word search they publish in the elementary paper ? pssh, that's baby bones stuff."

The drama only kept going higher when Papyrus began to rant, " _BABY BONES ?!_ I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT JUNIOR JUMBLE IS A VERIFIED WARM-UP FOR YOUR RETINAE, AN EXCELLENT WAY TO SHARPEN YOUR LOGIC, AND HAS ( _ALMOST_ ) BEEN RECOGNIZED AS OFFICIAL ROYAL GUARD TRAINING !"

"c'mon paps, i used to do those in my crib. between two naps. and i used to take twice the amount i take today."

"Did you even wake up ?" said Lola.

"Well, he had to eat at some point." Lana furthered the joke, rising hilarity around her, even from the butt of the joke himself. But it did not rouse any from his brother.

"UNBELIEVABLE. SIMPLY UNBELIEVABLE." Papyrus shook his head. "WELL, IT SEEMS WE ARE IN AN IMPASS, BROTHER."

"looks like it. of course, you could just admit i'm right."

"AND DENY JUNIOR JUMBLE ITS GLORY ?! MOST CERTAINLY NOT ! NO, WE ARE GOING TO NEED A THIRD OPINION !" He turned to the humans. "FOURTH TO THIRTEENTH OPINIONS ARE JUST AS WELCOME ! HUMANS, HELP US SOLVE THIS DISPUTE ! WHICH IS MORE DIFFICULT ?!"

 **Skirmish engaged !**

{ _Undertale OST – (Date Tension)_ }

The Loud sibs found themselves hesitating with the task being pinned onto them. It seemed pretty obvious at first, but the sympathy they had for the taller brother quickly made a mess of their judgements. But for one, it was the simplest choice to make, and all she had to do was getting her voice back.

"Oooh, oooh ! That's an easy one !" chirped Leni. "Junior Jumble, of course ! I'm usually not too great at word puzzles, but those ones are so great to do ! I mean at first, you see all those words that mean nothing, but then you scramble the letters, and the real word appear ! Not only that, it reveals a super secret word at the end, and makes you feel like an arch... arg... like that guy with the hat and the whip who likes old temples ! I love Junior Jumble, I've become the _expertest_ at it !"

Lisa thanked Science itself that she hadn't any dictionnary or encyclopedia with her at the moment, as her fingers itched to throw them at her ditzy sister's head with extreme prejudice.

Doubts among the others began flickering when they saw the radiant smile on Papyrus' face, and disappeared completely when they saw Sans giving small, but meaningful head nudges in his brother's direction. The Papyrus answer it was !

"Oh yeah, Junior Jumble is hard, but super cool !" agreed Lana. "Especially the ones they publish in ' _Little Miss Mechanician Weekly_ ' !"

"I prefer the ones with cemetery themes myself." crowed Lucy. "Because it gives me the feeling that you'll never know what you'll find in them. Like your true soulmate."

"You found your Edwin bust in a cemetery ?" said Lynn, cocking an eyebrow.

"No, but I found him in a place even more desolate of life and the joy supposed to go with it."

"The Internet ?" Luan wiggled her eyebrows.

"The Internet." nodded Lucy.

In a matter of seconds, all Louds were pitching in their positive opinion on Junior Jumble and its difficulties. Even Lisa swallowed her pride, and made up a story about Harvard using Junior Jumble as one of their entry exams. It was far-fetched all the way to Mount Ebott's top, but the most over the top it was, better was the chances Papyrus would buy it. And unsurprisingly, it worked like a charm.

{ _Undertale OST – It's Showtime !_ }

"HA ! HA HA ! I KNEW IT ! JUNIOR JUMBLE WINS AGAIN !" chanted Papyrus, rising a finger to the ceiling as a victory music rung out, an invisible spotlight shone over him, and confetti in the shape of his face rained over him.

"Wow, I wish I could do that." said Lola, catching one of the confetti in mid-air.

"Yeah, no way you can mess up a party with that kind of trick." chuckled Luna. "If only I could remix that tune a little..."

"And as usual, I'm the only one to question the lack of logic of the present scene." grumbled Lisa, desperately searching the sky for any flying confetti bucket or spotlight; anything that would make more sense than the obligatory answer.

* _"PAPYRUS WON ! He's won the right to brag about it for the next two weeks at the most opportune moment to reach maximum teasing potential."_

 **Skirmish over.**

{ _Music fades off..._ }

The defeated skelebro was taking his loss pretty well. In fact, he was looking a little cherrier than before. "majority has spoken. but hey, no reason to be _cross_ about it." he winked.

Papyrus didn't even groan, too absorbed by his victory. "HUMANS ARE INDEED VERY SMART IF THEY FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE DIFFICULT AS MUCH AS I DO ! PERHAPS WE COULD SHARE A COUPLE SOME DAY !"

"Gee, is it a date ?" cracked Luan, grinning as the others giggled, and Leni's redness gained a few tones.

"I DON'T SEE WHY NOT ?" proposed Papyrus, the naive smile adoring his face immediately dissipating any kind of misunderstanding or innuendo.

"I've got a boyfriend." said Lori out of instinct.

"Music's my whole life, ain't interested in anythin' else right now." Luna gently put him down, even though her claim was only half-honest. But it wasn't the time for that yet...

Luan looked the other way, her innocent whistling having nothing to do with a cute dark-haired emo, Lynn was picking her nose boringly, Lincoln vowed his own commitement to a cute ex-bully, and Lucy to Lily didn't feel concerned by the offer.

That left only one. And she managed to make the calculation as well, making her face go full scarlet to the tip of her ears. Her wooly hat inflated with the sound of a steaming kettle, but barely a sound could rise up the blonde's throat above a meek squeak.

And that was _before_ Papyrus turned his perfect grin towards her. "WHAT ABOUT YOU... LENI, RIGHT ? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE SOME JUNIOR JUMBLE WITH ME ? AFTER YOU ARE ALL CAPTURED, OF COURSE !"

He was talking to her. Directly, without any other intention than asking her on a date. A puzzle date, not the most romantic date in the book, but still, an actual date ! Leni felt paralysed, more than if a swarm of spiders had chosen to climb and cover her entire body.

Okay, one question at a time. Was she supposed to answer ?

' _Yes, of course._ ' replied her mind, in the form of the dapper hamster turning her mind wheel.

What was she supposed to answer ?

'... _Curl down on the ground, and never move ever again._ '

This wasn't helpful at all ! Ahh, the seconds were ticking away, and she still hadn't said anything ! And now, she was going to look so awkward, and Papyrus would think she was a weird girl who couldn't even answer a simple yes and no question, because she didn't ever get anything people told her. And he'd hate her forever !

' **...Well, would he ?** '

Huh ?

' **Would he hate you ?** '

Where was this whispering voice coming from ?

' ** _Can_ he hate you ?** '

Leni's eyes diverted to her Green SOUL out of confusion. She waited a few seconds to confirm her theory, but nothing else came. Had she dreamed it ? Was she in a dream right now ? Was a licorice unicorce going to appear, and swipe her and her knight in bony white armour away to the glimmering sunset ?

Gah, she had to focus ! This was real, but so was the mysterious question. Could Papyrus hate her ? One look at his slim eyesockets and pearlier-than-her whites was all she needed to answer it.

 **No.** Every possibility of the opposite answer was incogitable, downright insane, even for this place. Knowing that she could not mess it up, filled her heart with... the heart to tell him how she felt.

"U-Um, sounds n-neat, yeah. I'd like that very much." she shyly said as she twirled a lock of her smooth blonde hair. Inside though, she was throwing in a one-girl rave party, celebrating her true first words with Papyrus. She added, "I just hope that my sunglasses won't fall and make the whole world darker again. It's way harder to find words-"

"SUNGLASSES ?" interrupted Papyrus quizically. Leni nodded, took out her round glasses, and showed them to him. **" _GASP !_** " yelled Papyrus, so shocked that he pulled a Lucy. "ARE YOU SAYING YOU HAVE SUNGLASSES TO USE AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE ?!"

"Yeah, in case the sun gets, like, way too bright ! Plus they're totes fashionable on my head !" chirped Leni naturally, before shrinking back to her little voice. "It's... It's not weird, is it ?"

"WEIRD ?! _AU CONTRAIRE, CH_ _È_ _RE_ _HUMAINE LENI_ _!_ "

' _He can speak French... And he called me_ ** _dear_** _!_ ' Leni internally squealed with the force of a thousand airhorns. And what he did next made Dian Ross' crowd seem like a quiet breeze compared to Leni's internal squeal.

Papyrus spun around on one foot like a true magical girl, turning his entire body into a spinning orange blur, before stopping and emerging looking the same as before, to the exception of a pair of gaudy sunglasses. The black lenses were sparkling with golden glitter, and the bright orange arms, taped to the sides of his skull, had the words ' _RAD GUY_ ' written in ruby-coloured letters, bones underneath, and a blazing flame engulfing it all. Yeah, that was how you knew someone was cool, their name was burning.

"TO BE AS COOL AS ME, YOU MUST ALWAYS BE PREPARED FOR SUNGLASSES EMERGENCIES !" boasted Papyrus, his long scarf flowing in a nonexistant wind. "ISN'T THAT RIGHT, SANS ?!"

"no arguing there." grinned Sans, now wearing a pair of light blue party glasses, the ones he'd use as a night mask most of the time.

"Cooooool..." whispered Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lincoln, Lana and Lola, their eyes glimmering with wonder and amazement at the posing monster beaming with coolness. As they should be.

"Too much bling on it for me, but I appreciate the shade." commented the little black-riding hood.

"Would Bobby look cute with those sunglasses ?" asked Lori, mostly to herself. A dreamy sigh was all the answer she gave to her own question.

Lisa sighed at her siblings' silly sheninigans being crossed with the two skeletons'. She felt her green pants being tugged, and saw Lily looking up at her. "What seems to be the problem, younger sibling unit ?" she asked.

Lily pointed at the grinning fallen log their ditzy big sister had become. "Fic ?" asked Lily, bobbing her head.

Lisa observed the snow around Leni, which was melting at an improbable pace, and listened to the little whines of pure ecstasy coming out of her mouth every once in a while. Having analysed the symptoms, Dr. Lisa handed down her diagnosis.

"Apologies Lily, but there are some sicknesses even my expertise cannot cure. And such an infected mind-liquefying love is one of such cases." she said without much care.

"NYEH ? IS IT NAP TIME ALREADY ?" piped Papyrus, appearing above Lisa's shoulder, and looking down at Leni. Looking at the watch he had drawn on his glove, he became certain that it was no such time, and started waving a hand in front of Leni's face. "YOO-HOO, TIME TO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE MORNING SPAGHETTI !"

The effect was instanteneous, and had no regard towards the laws of Physics, as Leni stood up straight on her feet like a slightly inclined wooden board with a foot pressing its bottom part. Only there was no such force applied on her foot right now. Except perhaps the power of _love_.

"AH, YOU'RE AWAKE !" rejoiced Papyrus. "I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING TO YOU !"

"Yeeeeeees~ ?" sweetly asked Leni with a big toothy grin.

"I SIMPLY WANTED TO COMMEND YOU ON YOUR READINESS. YOU HUMANS ARE CERTAINLY PROVING TO BE EVEN MORE CUNNING THAN UNDYNE TOLD ME ABOUT !"

"Yeah, we try." said Lana, not without a hint at her pride having been rubbed in the right way

"You should see us when the chocolate cookie jar is full. We become masters of the infiltration !" added Lola just as merrily.

"INDEED ! SO MUCH CRAFTING MISCHIEF IN SUCH LITTLE BODIES ! NYEH HEH HEH !" said Papyrus boisterously, as he lifted the twins with each of his hands, making them squeak and giggle in excitement. It was clear that the man-skeleton-child's mindset was right in tune with the two tykes. Putting them down, he pursued just as loudly, "BUT YOU HAVE YET TO TRIUMPH, HUMANS ! MARK MY WORD, THINGS WILL ONLY GET HARDER FROM HERE ! YOUR MINDS WILL TWIST AND TURN OVER THE PUZZLES THAT AWAIT YOU !" He gave his sunglasses a tweak, increasing their shine. "AND JUST LIKE MY COOLNESS, MY VICTORY IS ASSURED !"

"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched ! We ain't captured yet !" challenged Lynn, eagerly flexing her arms.

The puzzle master gladly returned the confident grin. "WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT. OH YES, WE'LL SEE ! NYEH ! HEH ! HEH HEH !" he cackled, before dashing away.

"Heh, the more we get to know this dude, the funnier he gets." snickered Luna.

"Yep, this guy warms hearts all around. Except his, hahaha ! Get it ?" cracked Luan, making all humans groan, and one skeleton's grin grow a little larger. "By the way, where did _you_ pull these glasses from ? Got a secret stash around here ?"

"nope, it's right there on my face." replied Sans, having now added a false mustache to his disguise.

While Luan busted a gut over this, Leni, who had just woken up from her frothing daydream, looked confused at the new monster in front of her. Sensing the question, Lincoln brought her up to speed. "It's Sans with sunglasses and a false mustache."

"Oh. I knew I recognised his haircut."

"by the way, thanks for choosing junior jumble to appease my bro. he really likes that game, 'cause he isn't so great with the others." chuckled Sans. "yersteday's horoscope did a number on his puzzle pride."

"Wait, he tried _solving_ the horoscope ?" said Lori. "Why am I not surprised ?"

"Hold on, how can you read the stars if you all live in a cave ?" quipped Lucy, having a quite extensive knowledge about divination.

Sans shrugged. "we do with what we have." Lucy raised an unseen eyebrow, and Sans patted the top of her hood. "you'll get what i mean later."

"We won't see it from here, that's for sure. Perhaps we should, * _yawn_ *, resume our roaming through the place." said Lisa, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

The yawning effect spreaded fast, and Sans even began to nod off while still standing. Lisa was right, and the Louds made their exit, waving a "See ya later" to their skeleton friend. Sans lazily waved back, and walked in the other direction.

"woo, that puzzle was some work. this guy earned his break, don't ya think ?" he winked to the camera. "see ya in five minutes. or a month. depends on lazier over there."

 _And then Sans tripped over his own feet, because he was clumsy like that._

"touchy."

* * *

The next area was no bigger than the last one, but had a fair bit more stuff in it. On their right, was a new SAVE Point, and on their left, were two tables. The pot of spaghetti with tomato sauce put on the larger one immediately caught the sibs' fancy, as it was a Loud House classic they could get tired of.

But before they could investigate it with eyes and perhaps taste buds, they discovered a note on the ground, almost trampling it in their interest for food. Lincoln picked up the note, eyed it, then handed it to Luna. "Papyrus wrote it."

"And how does that make me his official spokesgal, bro ?" asked a puzzled Luna.

"Your Papyrus voice is really funny." he simply answered.

The rocker rolled her eyes, but ultimately took it as a compliment, and began reading out loud before her roommate could add in her two cents.

"HUMANS, YOU DID NOT GET YOURSELVES LOST AGAIN ! TO REWARD THIS FEAT, I HAVE PREPARED MY WORLD-FAMOUS SPAGHETTI FOR YOU TO SHARE ! YOU CAN ALL EAT FROM THE POT. ENJOY !" It would never be explained how a black top hat suddenly replaced Luna's purple cap, a black cape appeared over her shoulders, and a thin mustache sprouted on her face, nor why she was mindlessly twirling it while taking a cartoony wicked tone. "(LITTLE DO YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY A TRAP ! ENDEARED BY THE SPAGHETTI'S DELICIOUSNESS, YOU WON'T CONSIDER MAKING ANY PROGRESS ! YOU'LL GET STUCK THERE, GIVING ME MORE TIME TO MAKE EVEN BETTER WAYS TO CAPTURE YOU ! INGENIOUSLY JAPED ONCE AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS ! _NYEH HEH HEH !_ )" she cackled, before flowingly regaining her normal Papyrus voice, and her 1940's styled clothes disappearing. "WITH WARM REGARDS, THE GREAT PAPYRUS."

Luna shook her head in amusement. "That dude's too honest for his own good. Looks like Lazy Mate was kinda right about him." she chuckled, before she noticed all her siblings giving her weird stares. "What ? Got some sauce on my nose ?"

"No, but you had... I mean-" said Lincoln hesitantly, before sighing. "Never mind."

Leni snatched the note from her sister's hands, and gave it a deep whiff. She exhaled in an entranced manner, and regained heart-shaped pupils. "It smells just like him..."

Curious, Lynn sniffed it too. She raised an eyebrow. "He smells like tomato sauce ?"

"The bravest tomato sauce in the whole wide world..." gushed Leni.

"So, are we gonna eat, or what ?" chimed in Lana, having already grabbed the silverware.

"Spaghetti right after ice cream ? This is not really good for my figure." said Lola, rubbing her belly.

Lana shrugged, and grinned teasingly. "Suit yourself, princess. More for us."

"Wait ! I changed my mind !" cried Lola, tackling her twin before she could get a hang of the pot.

"I want some too !" Leni sprung wide awake. She could not pass up the opportunity of tasting her dear's cooking. Surely it had to be as divine as him !

But when Lincoln took a good look at the pot's contents, he knew that no God had had a hand in its preparation. "Uh, I hate to be the killjoy, but I definitely think we should not eat this."

His sisters approached for a closer peek, and heavily cringed at what they saw. "Okay, monster food is weird, that's a fact. But no eatable tomato sauce is supposed to be this purple, right ?" asked Lola.

"Whether the dressing can be ingested or not does not matter in the end. The burnt yet raw state of the pasta is proof enough that this iron cylinder contains nothing fit for consumption." quipped Lisa, feeling a little sick at the culinary carnage before her.

Luan nodded. "It does seem to promise _penne_ to your stomach, not gonna _lie-sagna_ ! Hahaha, get it ? But seriously, this is disgusting."

Leni gasped at the blasphemy against her beau's name. "How can you say mean things like that ?! It was made by the beautifulest person in the world; it HAS to be good !"

"Leni, just because someone is pretty doesn't mean they're automatically good at cooking meals." argumented Lori.

"Well, _I'm_ good at cooking stuff, aren't I ?" Leni proudly shot back. Lori opened her mouth, then closed it, knowing full well of Leni's skills in the kitchen, thus rendering null and dumb any answer to that question. Leni defeating her with logic. Surprises just wouldn't stop today. But the enamoured blonde wasn't quite done yet. "Besides, you haven't even tasted it yet ! How can you say it's bad ?"

"One of the bubbles in the purple sauce looks like the face of a damned, who welcomed death with open arms the moment it was born." dryly pointed out Lucy. The worst part was, the little face frozen in mid-scream of agony was truly there, and only sent shivers down the spines of Lucy's siblings. "That's usually not a good sign."

"Anything with that face is not a good sign." said Lincoln. "Urgh, reminds me of Flowey's creepy bloated face."

The girls gagged in revulsion, but Leni was simply having none of it. "Well, I'm still givin' it a shot." she huffed, grabbing the bone-themed fork left by Papyrus, and throwing it into the cursed pot.

* _KLANG !_ *

Leni watched in deep confusion the pointy end of the fork flying off without its grabby part, which was still in her hand. She registered the sound, looked at her environnement, then at both ends of the fork. It didn't make sense, forks were supposed to stab stuff...

 _Except if they were too hard._ Driven by her mini-epiphany, she poked the food with what little fork she had left. Yep, it was hard alright, and very, very cold. Before she could begin a new thirty-second-long analysis, her comedienne of a sister jumped in.

"Wow, a frozen treat if I've ever seen one !" she giggled mirthfully.

"Well, this place is basically a giant freezer." Lola gestured around her. "I'm just surprised it froze over that quickly."

Leni gave the pot a good shake to be sure, but she found her sisters' claims to be the truth. All she had in this pot was a block of sp-ice-ghetti, impossible to consume or even lick, due to the pot being too narrow to allow her head to fit inside. Adding to that was the memory of the last time she had fit her head into a small container to lick food. Thank goodness it had been a colander.

But the ditzy blonde perked up when she noticed the microwave iddly sitting on the smaller table next to the spaghetti one. "Let's just heat it ! Easy-peasy !" she chirped, regaining hope. But that hope didn't last long.

"Uh, that microwave is kinda weird." said Lana as she gave the machine a closer look. "No settings, no timer, not even an on/off switch. It just has 'SPAGHETTI' written on every button."

"Totes okay, 'cause we're making spaghetti anyway !" beamed Leni.

"I don't think it's gonna fit inside, sis." remarked Lynn. Indeed, the pot's height exceeded the microwave's by at least fifteen centimeters ( _= six inches. The More You Know~_ ).

Sweat formed on Leni's brow, who felt she was running out of options. "M-Maybe we can find a plate ? Or just put the spaghetti in it ! Or maybe-"

"Uh, mate ?" quipped Luna, spelling the crunch in all her big sister's plans by showing the lone, unplugged power cable.

Leni was downright panicking on the inside. In desperation, she pointed at the bottom of the grey stone wall on her left. "There's a hole here ! We can plug it there !"

"Leni, it's a mouse hole, not a power socket." said Lori, bringing Leni back to reality. She took a little pity in her when she saw her shoulders slumping in defeat. "It's for the best, Leni. This pot was a one-way ticket to Stomache-ache Town."

"Why would I want to go- oh wait, I get it." Leni sighed, and sadly looked at the sp-ice-ghetti. "I just really wanted to taste his food..."

Fortunately, Lincoln offered an idea. "You could always ask for fresh ones when you see it."

Leni's face immediately brightened up. "Of course ! It'll be totes better, and I'll get to see him cook for realsies ! Oooh, thanks Linky !" she exclaimed, as she put the pot back on the table and scooped her brother in a tight hug.

"My pleasure..." he wheezed through the sensation of his ribs being crushed into Bolognese sauce.

"Okay, the spaghetti's a bust. Can we just use the SAVE point and go ?" urged Lynn.

The plan was about to meet total approval, but Lily threw the results off with a long and audible yawn. Looking at her, they could see the losing fight she was putting against her tiredness.

"Uh-oh, looks like someone needs a nap." smiled Lori. Lily tried to flat out deny it with a shake of her head, but only managed to do half of it, before landing her head on her oldest sister's shoulder and losing herself to the land of dreams. "I think we should all take a break."

"Aw, come on !" shouted Lynn, quickly ushered by her siblings' " _Shhhh_ "'s. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Can't we just keep walking while she takes her nap ?"

"Actually, I wouldn't say no to a little beauty break." yawned Lola.

"Yeah, my dogs are starting to ache." said Lana as she rubbed her eyelids.

"As shameful as it is to admit it, my infantile morphology still lacks the energy to go against all we've lived today without the proper REM sleep, which I forgot to enact while at Goat Mother's residence. Therefore, I * _yawn_ * must support... the motion... wholefully..." she drowsily stated, her mind seconds away from complete shutdown.

"Who votes for break time ?" asked Lori. Eight hands flew up, leaving only sleepy Lily and pouty Lynn, the latter raising her hand with a sigh.

"Urgh, fine. I'll do a few stretches while you rest your lazy butts." grumbled Lynn, starting her exercising series with some chair workout against the wall.

"Alright ! Let's kick back with a tune or two. I take requests." Luna grinned at the hands already in the air.

The kids made themselves busy, with Lisa drifting into sleep under Luna's harmonica lullaby, Lana and Lola each on Leni and Luan's laps, while the two teens began conversing with Lori. As for Lucy, she decided to see what if the mouse hole could bring her some inspiration. Which, knowing her, took only a couple of seconds for the first drafts to appear.

While this was going on, Lincoln approached the forgotten yellow star, and executed the little ritual as per usual.

* _"Despite your frozen butt, you don't stop wondering about what will come next... It fills you with **Determination**!"_

 _ **LOUDS – Snowdin Spaghetti**_

 _ **LV1 – 174:18**_

File saved successfully !

And with that done, Lincoln joined his sisters, not sure with whom to mingle with first. Like the encounters of this place and, as he would put it himself, _in a family as big as his_ , you always had a choice.

* * *

"Are you sure ?" asked a black-hooded figure.

" _As sure as Undyne's tough ! Something petted ol' Doggo without even moving. Maddening, I tell ya !_ " barked a rough voice through the phone.

"Not that, the humans. Are you sure you saw them ?" said the other hooded figure.

" _Huh ? Oh yeah, just like they described them. There's a flock of those humans; eleven of 'em, in all sizes ! Could've sworn I heard a 12th one though..._ "

"And they're on their way ?" asked the first figure.

The rough voice sighed. " _Yeah, they go past me. Their sneaky petting techniques got the better of me. Sorry guys._ "

"Don't worry about it. Just stay alert in case they come back."

" _Roger that._ " And he hung up.

"Hmm, looks like we'll have to investigate." mused the first figure, a mustachoied white muzzle poking through his hood. "Won't we, sugarlump ?"

"Looks like it, honey bun." giggled the second figure, whose own white muzzle was softer and devoid of any mustache. The two nuzzled noses for a good moment, before the softer muzzle figure noticed something. "Honey, where is Lesser ?"

"Looking at the prints, I'm gonna say she ran out of there the moment she heard thathumans were there. You know how she is about missions."

"Yes, I know. Once she gets the order, there is nothing in the whole Underground that can keep her in place." They both chuckled, and nuzzled some more.

Then, the mustachoied muzzle figure turned to the figure in the conversation; one huge enough to engulf the both of them in shadows. "Alright Big Guy, we're going back to our stations now. You remember what to do ?"

The bulky armoured figure answered with a positive high-pitched ' _yip !_ ', and strutted back to his station, lightly shaking the ground each time his paws landed on the ground. There was snow to roll into with his name written all over it !

The rougher muzzle let out a sigh. "Ah, I wonder if he'll be alright all on his own."

"Oh sweetie, it's true that he can get distracted... _a lot_. But he'll be fine. After all, he is the strongest of us all." reassured the softer muzzle.

"Ah, you must be right. But then again, when aren't you ?"

"Oh you !" Another nose nuzzling session later, the hooded figures finally stood up.

"Well, let's get back to work, and make the Captain proud ! And if we happen to see those darn humans..."

They both took their weapons off the ground : Two large battleaxes, their razor-sharp edges glinting with magic.

" _...We'll show them just what the **Royal Guard** is capable of._ "

* * *

 **Author's Note : And there you go ! Hope that monolithic piece of writing will content you until next month ! Or maybe longer than that...**

 **Joking, I'm joking ! Put those chainsaws away, please ! This a family-friendly fanfic !**

 **But seriously though, I'll try to go back to monthly updates, just for you guys. Because you're awesome and you deserve it. Of course, a Review or two do make the writing process go faster. What ? Who's begging ? It's scientific, I swear ! Tell'em, Sans !**

 **Sans : yeah, he's begging.**

 **...Meanie.**

 **As always, this is Superdimentio77, wishing you a Happy Halloween ! Don't forget to buy sweets for the kiddos, so that you can gorge yourself with half of the bowl on the next morning ! Ta-ta for now !**


	12. Snowdin, Part 3

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 2 : Snowdin**

 **Part 3 : Grease and Canines**

 **(Feat. (unfortunately) Jerry)**

 **Author's Note : Yeah, I know I'm late. My plane's in an hour, so let's make this quick.**

 **Exams took over my life, and considerably slowed down the production of this chapter. I originally wanted it to be longer (Shocker !), but some of you told me that they found the last chapter a tad too long, which I have to agree. So for whatever awesome Holiday you're celebrating, here's a good Filler chapter to feast upon !**

 **Yep, fights and interractions, nothing else ! Hope you'll still enjoy it !**

 **Without further ado, other than saying that Undertale, Loud House, and all of the two franchises' characters aren't mine, let's proceed with the chapter.**

* * *

Time was relative. Numbers, clocks and calendars could help regulating it, but the common mind had with it was all up to them and their environnement. Fifteen minutes stuck in traffic were a never-ending bore, while a couple of hours at a party could fly by without being even registered. The first two-hundred and thirty minutes of that big exam were a blur, but boy could you feel every heart-smothering second of those last ten minutes !

You could also look at the stars, and ask yourself where was the time flying by in this ever-changing world. Or you could look at the ceiling of your own confinement, and wonder every day when things would truly change, for the better or for the worse...

…

Moral of the story, time was a fickle thing, easy to lose track of. And that was exactly how a short break, planned to last fifteen minutes at most, turned into an hour-long intermission. It wasn't like the Louds were lacking any activities, with about half of them dozing away – Leni having joined her little sisters to recover from her dreamy encounters with the charming skeleton – and the other half losing themselves in conversations, puns, groaning at puns, and other time-consuming activities.

It was surprising how well a quiet noise like Lily's waking yawn could break them all out of their stupor. One by one, the others awakened from their slumber.

"I gotta say, for a filthy cold ground in the snow, this is one good napping spot." grinned Lola as she began her post-nap beautifying routine.

"I'll say ! One the best naps I've taken on the ground in years !" chirped Lana, stretching her limbs and her back like a cat with a content moan.

Lisa opened her heavy eyelids with a smack of her dry lips. The little genius looked like a couple more dozing hours wouldn't be a luxury. But activating the night owl she could sometimes transform herself into, all it took was a deep breath, a dusting of her glasses, and some snow splashed in her face to have her brain running at maximum capacity again. Now if only this place had coffee-filled mug trees at disposal. Hey, if she was going to accept the wackiness of this place, she might as well hope for the pleasant kind of ludicrous stuff.

Leni was a little grumpier about waking up. The Great and Majestic Knight Papyrus had just slayed the evil Sweater Vest dragon, and had been about to celebrate his rescue of Princess Leny ( _with a 'y'_ ) with a tender kiss on her lips. But alas, the last couple of centimetres was never reached, and their wedding went off like the pop of a bubble.

"Can't I have, like, five more minutes ?" she complained sluggishly. "Papyrus was about to kiss me, you guys."

"Well, if you stay there, you won't have any chance to smooch the real deal, will you now ?" said Lincoln, cocking a suggestive eyebrow.

"Why aren't we moving any faster ?! C'mon you guys, there's still a long way to go ! Hop hop hop !" encouraged a now all too awake Leni.

"Now you're talking !" joined Lynn as she bounced up from her third press-up series.

"Smooth job, bro." Luna fist-bumped him.

"Best use of the 'You _snooze_ , you lose !' I've ever seen !" cracked Luan. "Get it ?"

"As always, yes." sighed Lori, wiping Lily's slobbery face clean. "Alright, head count everyone !" She began tapping every hatted and naked scalp, getting a total of 10, including hers. She paused at the erroneous number, before understanding where that mysterious feeling of being watched was coming from. She reached out behind her, and just as she guessed, her hand landed on an ebony stack of hair. "And, that makes eleven."

"Huh. You're getting good at this." monotoned Lucy, with a microscopic layer of happiness coming from being included in a head count. An occurrence of the rarity of seeing Lynn giving a meatball sub a pass.

"First day luck. Don't get too used to it." said the blonde leader. "Well, looks we're ready to go. Lincoln ?"

"Just a sec... there !"

* _"The frozen spaghetti reminds you of something. Something with less danger for your stomach... It fills you with_ _ **Determination !**_ _"_

 _ **LOUDS – Snowdin Spaghetti**_

 _ **LV1 – 175:22**_

 **File saved successfully !**

"Thinking with you stomach again. Typical." coyly grinned Lynn.

"Like you don't crave for Spaghetti Night less than I do." countered Lincoln chummily.

" _No time for food talk !_ " yelled Leni, fitting herself between the two. Her bouncy soles were making the message all too clear. The skeleton of her dreams was waiting, and she would NOT waste a single more minute that could further the delay of their next encounter. Those were also big words for her, so this was getting really urgent !

"You heard the lady ! Let's move out !" said Lana, at least half as excited as the fashionista. She had yet to encounter more dog monsters, like the two station owners, and she was getting goosebumps of thrill just thinking about it.

With eagerness in their step, the Louds were on the go once again. What surprise would await them next ? And when ?

* * *

 _Around the corner seemed to be the correct answer to the last question._

"Mind reading that again, Lunes ?" said Lincoln, part of the gallery of weird looks depicted on each of the expressions worn by the music lover's siblings. Said music master rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed at having to read that wooden sign again.

"' _Warning : Dog Marriage ahead._ ' Exactly what I said the first time, brah." said Luna. She then pointed a finger at the right bottom corner. "They even left a note right there to say that I made no flub !"

"A dog marriage ? That sounds so cute !" Lola squished her cheeks in elation. "Two dogs in a tuxedo and a wedding dress, getting married by a little dog priest, and in front of an assembly of fancy-looking dogs. Eeee ! So adorable !"

"In that case, you better hope the groom is as good as the _breed_ ! Hahaha !" guffawed the comedienne, earning herself groans and a glare from Lola for ruining her fantasy.

"Do you think it could be another puzzle clue ?" said Lucy.

"But we already know that there are more dogs ahead." remarked Lori, remembering Sans' actually helpful advice. "Hmm, maybe we'll have to pull on their heartstrings or something ?" Lily supported the idea by doing kissy faces.

"That's one weird idea. But then again..." Lynn scratched her chin in reflexion, for about a second. She preferred taking those fights as they came, rather than giving herself a headache trying to figure them out in advance. "I dunno. Lisa, any idea ?"

"Apart from what Lori has already suggested, I fret not. Lana, as our fauna expert, any advice you'd like to suggest ?"

"Uh-uh. Luan, a wild guess ?"

"I'm _dog_ tired out of ideas ! Leni ?"

"Nope. White panting dog face ?"

"* _Pant pant_ *"

"Haven't got a clue." Luna shook her head. "Bro ?"

"Hard to say now. Maybe we should just _waaaait_ a second. What dog face ?!"

The sibs suddenly became aware of the close sound of heavy breathing, and quickly identified the culprit. Behind the little wooden sign was another snowed pine tree, as plain as could be. And poking midway from behind that tree, was the head of a dog. The canine had a snowy white fur, short pointy ears, a lustrous black snout, two black tiny eyes presently focused on the group of humans, and a little pink tongue happily flapping from the front of her mouth.

A short, awkward silence fell after that, only betrayed by the dog's constant panting. Both parties eyed eachother, trying to figure eachother out, or at least trying to be the last being standing in this unspoken non-blinking match. You could cut through that atmosphere with a knife. Well, maybe with the Toy Knife, because it wasn't THAT thick. In fact, it vanished the moment the monster blinked, granting victory to the humans.

"And Team Loud wins again !" cheered Lynn, quite competent in making a win of a staring contest sounds like she had just won the national wrestling championships.

The sudden movement rung the right bells inside the monster's mind, who suddenly remembered why she had been sent here in the first place. She had a much tougher battle to deal with ! She retracted her tongue and let out a tiny growl, which was from menacing, but certainly made the humans jump a couple of inches off the ground.

"Just peachy, you've made it mad." groaned Lola, though she had no idea how to interpret the smiley face it still had.

With a small howl, the dog pounced forward, forcing the humans to scramble back, and leaving them to fully view what their new assailant looked like. Like Doggo, she looked to be an antropomorphic dog, standing on her two hind legs like a human, but was a bit shorter than him, standing around Lori's height. The entirety of her viewable fur was as white as her head, completed with a bushy white tail. But though Doggo had more of the aura of a guard, this dog monster had the proper equippement : A grey set of metal armour covering her body from shoulders to knees, a long white sword in her left paw, and a large purple shield in her right paw, with the perpetual strange winged dot and trio of triangles carved on it.

She jabbed the sword forward challengingly, and took her combat stance, tongue out of her maw, and the fighting glint in her small black eye summoning the Louds' colourful SOULs.

* _"Lesser Dog happily appears !"_

 **Fight engaged !**

The kids readied themselves for battle, or rather for dodging. The monster they were facing seemed innocent enough, but that didn't mean they couldn't strike hard. Doggo, bumbling-looking at first, had certainly proved that. Of course, the sibling pack engaged their turn with the usual _Check._

* _"Lesser Dog. ATK 12, DEF 2. Will always stick out her neck for you. Her stone 'dogger' is made of pome-granite, a great conductor for offensive magic. Happy as she may look, and be, this guard has some tricks up her fluffy sleeves."_

"Aww, it's a girl !" gushed Leni, sharing the fond look most of the sibs were now giving to the white fur ball of excitement. Every twitch of her ears had become reason enough for a series of ushed squeals to be uttered, as well as some murmuring about her share adorableness.

By adopting that mindset, the wise advice in the _Check_ had been ignored. And it almost cost the kids the realisation of Lesser Dog preparing herself to attack. Thankfully, her way of attacking was large and blatant enough to catch their attention.

She began by sending her shield up in the air, so high that it seemed to near the ceiling of the grand cave. Lesser Dog then grasped her 'dogger' with both paws, and focused her energy into it, making the blade glow with magic. When she separated her arms, there was now a sword of the same size in each paw ; white in her left, light blue in her right.

"Magic fission." whispered Lisa in shock. "A power like this is supposed to be detained by powerful magic users only..."

"Does that mean we're in trouble ?" nervously asked Lincoln.

"You'll be if you keep talking ! _Watch out !_ " Lynn warned of Lesser Dog's first move. The bipedal canine swung her blue sword first, making the Louds nail their shoes into the snowy floor. But it was right as its edge finished giving Lucy a faint tingling in her left arm, that the alabaster one came with a vengeance upon the Goth, and quickly moved for the others. Lily escaped its wrath by being lifted in the air, while Lincoln, Lana, and Luan just had the time to duck under it. But every other girl wasn't so lucky, and received minor cuts to their sides, as well as the delepting of 3 _HP_ from their life bars.

Lesser Dog ended her assault with a skilful twirl, the disappearance of her blue sword – its energy returning inside the white one's blade – and the perfect catch of her falling shield. If she hadn't needed to keep herself on the ready, there was no doubt the monster guard would have sat down, and puffed her chest with pride.

"Okay, that sack of bones wasn't lying. Those dogs have good training." said Lynn, rubbing her new wound in the right arm. "And I just had it healed up..." she mumbled to herself.

"Agreed, you could say she is no _underdog_!" jested Luan, doing another limbo pose to dodge the jeering snowballs chucked at her.

"I'm gonna have to stitch my coat all back together if this keep going." sadly observed Leni, looking at the couple of gaps already inflicted to her seasonal outfit. She turned to adress a pouty glare to the monster, but couldn't keep up the mask for too long. "Aww, her happy face is still the cutest thing ever !"

Lola grunted, "Leni, don't you see that she's trying to... to..." she trailed on, looking at Lesser Dog's features beaming with happy innocence, and soon broke into a won over smile. "D'aww, why does she have to be so adorable ?!"

"To soften your spirit, so she can ram her sword into it ?" bluntly answered Lucy. Her siblings gave her grossed-out looks. "What ? She asked."

"Suuure..." drawled Lori, suddenly reminded of the reason why she would never let Lucy bunk with her. She always feared to wake up in the middle of a séance, with her raven-haired sister trying to loan her body to some random demon for an hour or two. Not that she believed in those facetiae.

...Then again, there was Daisy the Demented.

But with a shake of her head, she focused herself back on the task at hand. "Okay, what can we do to get her to let go of that huge, very sharp sword ?" A small arm rose from the crowd, and it was immediately identified by the dark blue glove at the end of it. "Lana ?"

"We should just go and pet it !" earnestly suggested Lana, giving a bright smile.

Her siblings looked in Lesser Dog's direction. The canine proceeded to slowly, _slowly_ lick the blade of her sword, letting pearls of drool rolling down the metal piece, while keeping her reflectless pupils focused on the humans. In those peepers, they were seeing something new. A lust, a hunger for more, making them feel very unsettled, and prompting a collective * _gulp_ * of fear.

None of them would ever know that she was simply licking off a spot of delicious meat grease, that she had accidentally dropped on her blade during her last lunch break.

Weapons had to be immaculate at all time ! That's what the **Captain** would say !

"Uhh, I think we should hold on the petting for a turn or two." said Lincoln with a nervous smile.

Lana practically gawked at the nervous nods around her. _Not_ petting a dog with that face ? What insane idiom were her sisters and brother speaking ?! "But look at her ! She's pratically begging for attention !" she angrily chided.

"Lan's, we ain't saying you shouldn't ruffle that pup's fur." appeased Luna, with cringe still plaguing her voice. "But y'know, maybe cool down her flow a bit before that ? And make sure she doesn't use that huge sword at point blank."

Lana wanted to vehemently argue back, but saw reason in her sister's own argument. She knew from experience how excited dogs reacted at the prospect of someone wanting to play with them, jumping on the poor sap's shoulders and intiate the fun early. Mainly because it was her default reaction too. ' _And_ ' Lana asked herself, ' _if the dog has a sword, what's the likely result ?_ '

She stopped her mind work before she could cross the fine line of imagination, and accepted the reasoning, no matter how recluant she was about it. "Fine..." she mumbled, throwing her hands in her coat pockets. Greatful for her understanding, Luna patted her little sister's head.

"What can we do to distract her then ?" said Lola. She quickly snapped her fingers, "What about food ? Charles will do pretty much anything for a treat !"

"Not a bad idea, if not for the lack of a crucial element. We are not in possession of any substenance to use as bait." reasonned Lisa.

"Um, actually..." began Lincoln.

"NO ! Ban that thought from your head immediately !" ordered the prodigy, pointing an accusotary finger like lawyers would do on TV.

"What ? What did he say ?" asked Lynn.

"Our brother unit was about to suggest that we should use the scrumptious last gift of our Goat Mother to make our adversary docile !"

The sisters let out shocked gasps, and turned towards Lincoln, who shrunk under their astonished looks. "W-What ? Just a little bit. It's food, isn't it ?" he stammered.

"How can you even think that's a viable option ?!"

"The Pie is our truth, bro !"

"Not like lying cakes. Hehe, get it ?"

"Yeah, it's like if you were selling Goat Mom for your freedom !"

That last comment urged the peacemaker to rebuke. "Oh come on ! Why do you have to blow everything out of proportion ?! It's always the same thing with you guys !"

Another verbal argument amorced itself between the siblings, the ten-against-one soon turning into an all-way dispute and light slappy matches, under Lesser Dog's happily oblivious eyes, who considered herself lucky to be there to witness how humans played with eachother.

Oh, the one with a red cap was jumping onto the face of the one with metal teeth ! So majestic...

Noticing that they were starting to cross the limit between humans and shrieking chimps, herself included, Lori sharply whistled for her siblings to stop their pointless brawl. "GUYS ! I know we've just spent an hour resting, but we are supposed to use that energy to get out of this Fight, not to litteraly start another !" Her expression turned deadpan. "Lana, why do you have Luan's ponytail in your mouth ?"

"'Fi mabe a voke aboup frogv. Ah vwarned 'er !" the little tomboy defended herself.

"You should spit out my ponytail first. It's kinda hard to _hair_ you ! Haha-OW !" Luan yelped as she felt Lana renewing her chomping. "Note to self, avoid jokes when the one you're telling it has part of your body inside their mouth."

Lori shook her head, and took Lana down from the pained comedienne's shoulders. As she did, an idea came to her, filling her with glee, and Lana's face with the snow she crashed headfirst into. "All we need is food, right ? Well, I can safely say, pie isn't going to be on the menu. Instead..." she rummaged through her bag, "...let's try a donut !"

"Of course !" Lincoln slapped his forehead as he saw Lori's Donut Piece. "You and Lily didn't eat your pieces ! This is just what we need !"

"Is it though ?" quipped a skeptical Lucy. "Dogs are a little more on the meat side, than on the sweet."

"But dogs also nab every piece of chow that falls on the floor. Even when it's not really food." said Lynn, giving her sister-in-SOUL a teasing grin. "Not just dogs, also little girls who can't wait for Dad's world-renowned Lasagna, and can't tell the difference between a chunk of meat and a can of tomato sauce."

Lana whacked her sportive sis' back with her hat. She didn't need a reminder of how she lost her first tooth, looking in the mirror every morning was enough of that !

"Sounds good to me !" cheerfully said Lincoln, as he pressed the ACT button, and chose its next option, _Bait_. Lori lost no time in revealing the pastry piece to the canine guard, though she first had to give Lily to Leni so the tot wouldn't snatch it for her own snack.

"Hey, Lessie Lessie. Look what we've got for you~" sing-sang Lori seductively, inwardly cringing at the fact she was picking up Sans' nicknaming habit. She had the attention of the monster in a heartbeat, her tail starting to wag with excitement. "If you want the treat, then put the weapons down. Only good guard dogs get treats."

Oh boy, oh boy ! They said they had a treat, oh boy ! Lesser Dog's eyes were following the grey sugary piece like it had nylon strings attached to them. It looked so good, so very good ! But wait, wasn't she supposed to be doing something important ? What was it that human said ? ' _Only good guard_ -'

* _Internal dog gasp_ * Of course ! She was on duty ! And treats weren't allowed on duty ! Especially against humans ! Lesser Dog remembered the wise words of her dear Captain !

" _If the snow isn't white, don't lick it, darn it !"_

Wait no, the other wise words.

" _Ngaaah ! Humans aren't just strong, they can also be tricky ! They'll tempt you with anything, like food, or gifts, or crystal balls to make your wishes come true ! But the moment you'll lower your guard, they'll run like the cowards they are, or maybe even stab you in the fur !_ '

Lesser dog was aghast ! Shocked ! Confused ! Hungry ! And aghast some more ! Well, they weren't about to make a sucker out of her. Lesser Dog made her disinterest known by folding her ears back, and turning her nose up in disdain.

* _"Lesser Dog is not pleased with your meager offering."_

"Well, so much for that plan." deflated Lynn.

"This seems to confirm that our adversary is more brain-gifted than the usual _Canis familiaris_." quipped Lisa. "After all, she did just do a sword demonstration that would put D'Artagnan to shame."

"Furry dudette's got her priorities straight. Guard first, lunch later. They train them very well." nodded Luna.

"Hold on guys, look ! It looks like it's working again !" called Luan.

Lesser Dog was sniffing the air with great ardour. What was that smell ? It smelled sugary. It smelled... divine. Like someone had taken some of the share goodness of the world and had turned it into a dessert. Lesser was on more alert than ever. Where was that delicate aroma coming from ?! It was all her mind could process at the moment, flinging every other notion of reality under the rug.

Rug... nap on the rug ? That sounded nice. Very nice.

But that smell was nicer, she had to stay focused ! Her nasal radar was making a covering of the zone at impressive speeds, zooming closer and closer to the source, until at last, she spotted it. The open backpack on the human's shoulders. _The prize was inside._ But the Captain's words rung to her ears again. She couldn't get near, or they would try and get the drop on her. Maybe pull on her fur, or spray her nose with water ! Shady humans.

But she had an idea ! All she had to do was to use something or someone else to retrieve the divine-scented treat. And she knew the trick to do just that.

Lesser Dog let out a small howl, and brandished her sword in the air. Feeling her SOUL and body getting lighter, Lori, still the closest to the monster, readied herself for the attack, as did the others behind her. She watched as white particles, oddly fluffy ones, escaped the gleaming magic blade, and slowly fused together themselves into a form.

Four paws, two pointy ears, a short tail, and a pointy snout. Little doubt here, it was a dog ! And even lesser doubtful, was the little white dog's identity.

"Y-You ?" stuttered Lori in surprise. Those goofy, yet mysterious eyes did not lie.

"It's the Pie-snatcher !" yelled Luna in high alert. "Code white, code white ! This is not a drill ! I repeat, this is the real deal, dudes !"

"Like, protect the goods !" cried Leni. In her arms, Lily was making a blaring sound akin to the one of a blaring military alarm. Little panic swept over the Loud ranks, for they had faced the emergency before. Many slices of sugary goodness had been lost to the cute canine menace, but they knew how to react now. Backpacks were immediately sealed, the locks all clipping shut at the same time, plus the two additional ones Lisa had installed on her bag. Lana was a little more crude, closing her teeth on the top of her bag, and growling like a hot-blooded little hound defending her home.

But all the leather ramparts hadn't been risen yet. The main door to the prize had still been left open, and the furred thief was not about to let it close on his muzzle. With a little adorable war yip, the annoying pup gamboled towards Lori like a fuzzy white arrow.

"Oh no you don't." said the blonde leader, as she took a quick step to the right, making the little dog completely miss her. Its strike had been effortlessly avoided. _Or so it wanted it to appear._ In position behind the human, the dog used the momentum of its course to rear up on its hind legs with such speed, that they completely left the ground.

"Whaaaat theeeeee..." said Lori in slow motion, as it was how it felt to see the dog doing a graceful backflip. And then another. And a third one. And finally, it arched itself for landing, descending face-first into Lori's backpack. But it seemed that his previous larcenies were coming back to bite the thief in the butt, as the hips surrounding it were too large to fully make it inside the bag, leaving the lower half of his body exposed.

"We've got a breach in the perimeter ! The enemy has made it inside Lori's bag !" reported Lincoln.

"What would we ever do without you, Captain Linc-Obvious ?!" Lori curtly replied, as she quickly removed her backpack from her shoulders. "Hey buster ! Toriel's house was off-limits, and so are the bags she bought ! So if you think-YEOWCH !" Lori removed her slightly singed hand from the dog's slightly glowing kicking legs. The yellow of her _HP_ bar receded of two more ounces. Lori was thoroughly unamused by this turn of events. "Oh that's just brilliant. His _**white** fur_ is considered an attack. I can't get him out !"

The Louds gasped at this, with Lily being the most agitated. _Her_ slice was in there too ! And all she could do was to stare helplessly, while the cunning canine devoured it as it pleased ? Why was the world so cruel ?!

Seeing her baby sister's eyes tearing up, Lisa's brain kicked in high gear to come up with a light-speed quick solution. The glow of her courageous sister's SOUL against her worn glove gave her just that. "Lynn, I think it's time you prove Lori that letting you keep the glove was no misguided decision !"

Lynn was confused at first, but immediately understood the plan. She called the twins to follow her, and she firmly took a hold on the little tail, while they grabbed the bag's handles. Lisa's unspoken theory proved to be true, as Lynn's hand didn't ache when she grazed the fur. That was one Tough Glove ! (* _Rimshot_ *)

She began repeating the words of her coach, "A firm grasp. Make the legs work, not the back. And, _pull_ !" She did exactly that, with everything she had. The dog offered iron resistance, but that had never stopped her before. Before she knew it, the dog flied out of the bag, plopping in the snow on its back. "Yee-hah ! And she does it again, ladies and gents !" celebrated Lynn. The party quickly died down however, when she saw the dog getting back on its feet. But it wasn't the pup itself that was making her freeze. It was what was covering his face at the moment. "Oh, wow..." she said with rosying cheeks.

Lesser Dog was confused. Very confused. There was no doubt that what her tracker had found was not the heavenly-scented snack. In fact, it looked like nothing to what a dessert was supposed to look like. The best it had going for it was its triangular form, like a slice of cake. But what strange human artefact had it collected then ?

Giving it a good look, it appeared to be some sort of... hat ? It fit the little dog's head like a glove, and had two big holes for both ears and eyes. A human helmet, perhaps ? Could those humans be fellow guards ? But it had very big design flaws for a helmet. Why, it was made of fabric, and not even resistant-looking one. How could it whistand enemy's assaults, when it was certain that it would fly off the head of the wearer the moment they would go from walk speed to light jog ?

But maybe it was some sort of sacred hat. A relic of old, either holding a hidden magic, or acted as a powerful symbol for humanity. Perhaps the little face on it was as sacred to them, as was the **Angel of the Prophecy** on her shield to monsters. Yes, that had to be it. Why else would the tallest human be so eager to get it back ?

" **GIMMETHATRIGHTNOWYOUMUTT !** " shrilled Lori, her face a blazing scarlet to the tip of her ears. Her hand swiped the 'hat' so fast, it didn't even register her hand grazing the dog's fur, who didn't even flinch. She then proceeded to punch the frilly triangle in the bottom of her bag, with a fervour that had Lynn staring in awe, zipped it close, and wrapped it in a barb wired clutch. She wanted nothing more than to give the pie-snatcher a piece of something else, but as per usual, the moment she turned to look at it, it was long gone, with no paw prints to trace his trail.

A very awkward silence fell afterwards. Teasing was common event in the Loud House, but they were subjects that were more difficult to make fun of than others. The theme, the environnement, and the type of siblings witnessing the gaff were the three main components to weigh that decision. And while they were in a foreign land, with no one else than a couple of obliviously happy dogs to have witnessed it, the mishap itself was leaving the girls feeling almost as awkward as their eldest on one side, and Lincoln almost wishing to clean his brain with bleach on the other.

It was Luna who collected the guts to break the awkward iceberg forming. "Whew, that wild, huh ? Hehe, heh..." She obviously wasn't doing the best job at it. Pulling on her collar, she tried to continue. "So... how'd you get Bobby's face to-"

" **If any of you give even the blurred picture of the shadow of a hint of what just happened at any point in time, I promise that person a very well-crafted, very personal retaliation, that will scald their bodies, minds, and SOULs for every waking moment of the rest of their life.** " articulated Lori, each word feeling like a stalactite forming on their goosebumped skin, with the two biggest being the ones shot at them by their sister's somewhat glowing glare of doom. Lori's hot rage was already something to cower away from, but her icy wrath was way worst. " **Nothing happened here. Understand ?** "

" _Aye !_ " fearfully saluted the siblings at once.

" **What happened ?** "

" _Nothing happened !_ "

" **Good.** " Lori gave a long and deep exhale to both cool and warm her mind. She just wanted to erase this incident from her very mind, and for that, she had to make sure she wouldn't ever be reminded of it. What happened in the Underground, stayed in the Underground. She took Lily back in her arms, who cooed innocently, unaware of what the fuss was about. Lori gently smooched the top of her hooded head, and turned to her siblings with a fresher mind. "Okay, we're done with that, let's get back to the matter at hand."

"That dog's stubborn. Maybe we should try tiring her out by playing with her ? It usually works with Lana." said Lynn.

"Or we could appeal to her ear ! One little lullaby, and she'll be out like a light." proposed Luna, whipping out her trusty harmonica.

"What about some fashion tips ? Maybe all she wants is to be the prettiest dog on the playground !" chirped Leni, her mind swept away by thoughts of dog romance. Dog marriages were a thing down here, after all.

"I don't think she really cares about fashion." replied Lincoln, perhaps a tad too blunt. His mind was just straining to pour cement on the memory of... _that_.

"Well, she has armour, doesn't she ?" Leni puffed up her cheeks.

"Huh. Fair point." shrugged Lincoln. "Let's take a look at the ACT panel, and we'll decide once we see the options." But as he was about to touch it, he noticed little thin white particles peeking out from the vivid orange and black of the ACT button. The boy's mind was immediately taken back to the state of his bed during Spring. "Is that dog fur ?" he asked.

"That little thief shedded on our stuff !" said Lola, outraged. "That's it ! If I get my hands on that little rat, I'm scalping him !"

"He may be small, but that's a very big ' _if_ ' to go through." quipped Lucy, checking her cape for any white hair to spot. Death didn't have a slip of toilet paper stuck to its robes when it came to collect souls, so Lucy would not have any shedding from an Annoying Dog.

"Well, it's already there." shrugged Lincoln, pressing the button anyway. But when the panel deployed itself, it began flickering, like an old TV trying to get the right reception. And it became worse when he chose Lesser Dog's name. A low dog-sounding whine emanated from it, and the letters of the _Check_ option were glitching all over the place. "What the huh ?" said Lincoln in disarray, and what happened next didn't quell that feeling. A _Pet_ option, wih a paw print at the word's left instead of the usual star (*).

Then another appeared. And another. And another. Then two others. Then three, and _so on_. Before they knew it, the Loud kids were facing dozens of _Pet_ options, each more demanding than the last. Only Lana could clearly interpret what was going on.

"I told you that's all she wanted was to be petted." 'tsked' the little animal expert. "But did you listen ? No~, no one ever listens to the handygirl."

The Louds stared at their feet or rubbed the back of their necks with slight guilt. If the reason didn't have ties to her prim and pretty twin, then a moody Lana was pretty damning for whoever she was cross with.

Lincoln made the first step, in more sense than one, to try to amend their deed. "Sorry, Lana. It's just, the big sword, and..." Lincoln sighed, the little tomboy's gruff huff a big clue that this wasn't going well. "Um, do you wanna pet the dog now ?"

"I don't know, you tell me. _Do I ?_ " she retorted coolly.

"You most certainly do." dryly replied Lisa.

Lana held on her pout, strong and unforgiving. For about five seconds. "Dang it, I can't stay mad in those conditions ! Not with that pettable face looking at me like that !" she stomped her foot, while meeting Lesser Dog's gaze, who was gayly wondering what she would have for dinner tonight.

"You know what to do." said Luan wisely, putting her hands on Lana's shoulders. "Go to her."

Lana didn't need to be told twice, and strutted ahead, reaching Lesser Dog in a heartbeat. Lincoln pressed a random part of the panel, seeing as it was covered with the same option in different styles. So he settled for a nice and classy Rockwell.

"Hey there, lady. You look like you could use some chest scratchies." said Lana. Lesser Dog visibly brightened up at those words, panting a little more excitedly. Lana giggled, and began lifting her hand. "Well, I'm all up for-"

 _ ***Floof !***_

Lana took a surprised step back when she saw Lesser Dog's fur shifting before she could touch it. Not only that, but Lesser Dog appeared taller, everything below her neck hadn't budged or changed. The muddy child turned at her siblings, and saw in their expressions that she hadn't been the only to see that. Lincoln's narration made the thing all the more cryptic.

* _"Without even touching her, you've already got Lesser Dog excited."_

"...We need a second test." concluded Lisa, feeling her SOUL heating up with the desire to know more about this highly-illogical phenomenon.

The ACT button was pressed, and Lesser Dog's array of options... well, _option_ , consisted of one big _**PET.**_ Lincoln squinted his eyes at it, "I think we've just ended up in a joke battle."

Luan gave a hearty chuckle at this. "Hohoho, Lincoln. I think _I_ would know if we were in a joke battle. But you don't see me deliver _punchlines_ , and nobody is getting a _kick_ out of this. Ergo, it _canine_ be it !" she laughed, ending with the obligatory "Get it ?".

"No. I mean, yes, I get the joke, but that's not what I meant. See, in more goofy RPGs, you'll sometimes come across a fight where the controls are broken on purpose. Once you've got to that stage, you're basically in the clear."

"Kinda like with that nice Roach guy at the end ?" quipped Leni.

"Kinda. But those usually are time-wasters, making you toy with a single button to see if anything different happens. Let's see here..." Lincoln pressed the sole option, and made a sign to Lana to repeat her action. Lana, about to do it anyway, obliged, this time reaching for Lesser Dog's chest. She began stroking her fur, finding it as soft as wool, a sign that she was quite young.

 _ ***Floof !***_

* _"Lesser Dog's excitement only grows."_

She was indeed excited, and her neck had indeed grown six inches again. Scratchies felt so good, so empowering ! She felt so valued, so appreciated, so rewarded for what she had done, and even what she hadn't done ! This was a thrill she never wanted to stop !

But wait, if the humans were giving the petting, what did that mean ? What did the Captain say about that again ?

" _If the humans try to render you docile with pets, you've gotta shake it o-o-o-o-f-fff_(çé2431PIE_IS_dlmTRUTH-"_

Dang it, she was losing reception ! Her ears began turning like satellite dishes, making garbling radio sounds, until she found the signal again.

" _If the humans try to render you docile with pets,_ roll on your back, and let the affection fiesta begin ! WOOO, PET PARTY ! _"_

Now that's what she wanted to hear ! Lesser Dog surprised the little blonde when she let go of her sword and shield, and plopped down on her butt, bridging the gap between her long neck and the hand supposed to stroke it.

"Aww, you want some more ? Do you ?" cooed Lana, feeling right in her element. Lesser Dog's tail was wagging with joy as she eagerly nodded her head. "Well, since you asked nicely." chuckled Lana, resuming her petting.

"Wait, we haven't picked any option !" warned Lincoln, knowing how cheaters were dealt with in some games, and wasn't too eager to know the punishment in real life.

 _ ***Floof !***_

"I don't think that's going to be an issue." remarked Lori, peeking from over his head. "Looks like someone switched option choice on automatic."

Automatic was the right word, with the bold-lettered _**PET**_ selected without any digit even grazing the choice panel. Lola whistled in wonder, "This thing has an automatic function ? This is going to make those fights way easier !"

 _ ***Floof !***_

"Don't count too much on it." Lincoln rained on Lola's parade. "I'm pretty sure that's a one-battle event. Still, this whole thing is supposed to be linked to us, to our SOULs." mulled Lincoln with a thoughtful scratch of his chin. "What did that dog do to it, and how ?"

 _ ***Floof-ity floof !***_

"Hold on that thought, because I think there's more weird stuff we need to stick our _necks_ out for. Get it ?" chortled Luan.

* _"Lesser Dog feels like it's the best day of her life."_

"Guys, this is just awesome !" chirped Lana, observing the small fluffy neck tower that had become Lesser Dog. Her head had already ascended a dozen of feet, and she looked very eager to break that record in the next second. "The more I scratch, the more there is to scratch ! I've gone to pet heaven !"

"Someone's gonna reach the real one if you keep goin', little dudette." whistled Luna.

"And that's not all she's got, look ! The cute dog's name is yellow !" Leni joyously added.

"Great job, Lana." commended Lori. "Well, that's a wrap everyone. Lincoln, would you like to do the honors ?"

"You bet !" Lincoln saluted back, pressing the MERCY button. But before he could choose the fight-terminating option, a gloved hand stopped his own mid-air.

"Hold on, everybody ! We can't stop the fight just yet !" Lana flailed her arms in panic.

"Uh, hello ? She's disarmed, pacified, and her name's yellow. I'm pretty sure that means the battle is over." said Lola dismissively.

"B-B-But I've barely pet her ! And she looks like she wants so much more !" Lana gestured towards Lesser Dog's face, who upon being designated, traded her happy panting for a folding of her ears and a small demanding whine. Even her flailing tail, already at light-breeze speed, seemed to be begging for further affection.

The Louds felt their heartstrings being pulled, and opened their eyes wide with pity, save for Lucy, who "sighed" at the actual feeling she was having. That sneaky dog and her pillow-soft fur were bewitching her and making her go, well, soft.

A spark of reclutance appeared in Lori's look. She tried to fight the feeling, arguing to herself that they had wasted enough time already. For all they knew, it could already be night, and despite their power nap, it wouldn't be long before the youngest of their group would run out of juice, and make future monster skirmishes a great deal harder. But those eyes. Those innocent, SOUL-petting eyes. She understood that _she_ would be the monster to refuse her a pet or two. It was Watterson all over again, except the peepers were visible this time around.

"Oh, alright." conceded Lori, rising delighted cheers out of the others. "But let's not take too long, alright ? We've litteraly lost enough time already."

"Pshh, it's just petting a dog, Lori." chuckled Lynn dismissively. "How long can that take ?"

* * *

{ _*Read with a heavy french accent*_ }

 _Fifteen minutes later..._

" _I NEVER WANT THIS TO END !_ " whooped the brunette at the top of her lungs.

" _Motion seconded !_ " agreed Lola, exhilirated despite her hair being blasted backwards by the rush of wind smacking her face.

" _The Milkshaker and the Creamer-Express have nothing on this !_ " laughed Lana, letting her tongue flow freely in the cold gale.

* _You may all have serious issues._

" _We're crazy, alright ! Crazy for more !_ " thrived Lincoln, a hand on the top of his hat, and no care to give to the disdainful eye roll he could feel being dished out at him from the back of his mind.

After minutes of regular fur scratching, the kids had come to gripes that their canine ex-enemy's neck had no end, and would never stop growing, as long as someone kept giving her affection. Out of all the remaining petting options, the foursome had chosen none of them, and invented their own : Riding Lesser Dog's neck like a rollercoaster, petting her all the while. The tracks were already long, going up and down, left and right, but never leaving the area they were in. Lesser Dog looked to be having as much fun as them.

On the ground, the petting was just as passionate. Luna was mimicking an intense solo on the back of the neck tower, and only she could hear the music coming out of it. For the first time, and unknown to the world, Luna Loud had pulled out the first successful _fur guitar_ riff. Leni had her ungloved hands on the front of the neck, reveling in the softness and giggling at the tingling spreading along her palms. She didn't even noticed the small lighting bolt she shot to the ceiling when she raised her hands for a second.

Lori had decided to give the dog some pizzazz by embilishing her back paws, petting her thighs while she did. The clipping done for a while, she was now attacking the second coat of nail varnish. Lily was up front too, playing patty cake with Lesser Dog. The first to miss one of the steps got to pet the other. Simple rules, and a win/win for both parties either way. Lucy was sat against the cold armour, getting inspiration for a poem. _Here's an exclusive peek at it :_

 _Neck, you grow._

 _But where do you go ?_

 _An infinite white row,_

 _that cannot be left alone._

 _If the petting stops so,_

 _Back it will row._

 _Awaiting the next paw,_

 _That will give it tone._

Despite the grimness she was pouring on her page, the little Goth caved in petting Lesser Dog's neck. Werewolves were in her good books after all. Or at least, that was the excuse she kept giving herself.

 _Carrot stick, she's looking that way ! Change camera, change camera !_

And finally, there was Lisa standing at Lesser Dog's tail level, for which she was having a passionate scientific fascination for. With each pet, the speed of the tail's whipping lightly increased. And with eleven humans stroking her, the tail had picked up enough speed to push every speck of snow near it aside, and then some, producing enough velocity to make a mini trench in the powder.

"This is prodigious ! Given the right tools, this could be the solution to clean energy ! Petting energy, it'll win the hearts of the people in a jiffy ! I must patent this tail at once !"

Luna raised an eyebrow as she dropped to a lower-pitched solo. "You're gonna patent a dog ?"

"We're already deep in madness, why stop when it's getting profitable ?" Lisa drummed her fingers with her creepy chesire smile, the one that she would wear when asked if they had heard her right about them loaning her an apendix for the good of science.

Ironically, the only one who wasn't having fun at the moment, was the entertainer herself. Luan had had her fill of pets and dog jokes, and now her glee had changed into regret as she gazed at the wild white locomotive and its passengers. They looked like they were having so much fun. Luan sighed gloomily, but quietly enough for the others not to hear her. She was no sad clown, and didn't need to be portrayed as one.

 _But she didn't go completely unheard._

"why the long face, o loony buddy ?"

Luan sprung up in shock, and instead of the usual mop of black hair, she spotted a calm blue jacket and a permanently carved bony smile, that likewise tugged her lips upwards. "Oh, hey Sans. Say, I didn't hear you coming, you sneaky skeleton." she jokingly admonished.

"heh, one of the perks of just being a sack of bones; not a whole lot of flesh to weigh you down." shrugged Sans.

Luan squinted her eyes in amusement. "I don't think I can really _stomach_ that theory, 'cause I see a big bump right there that would like to disagree." she said, giving the skeleton's belly a light poke.

"hey, i'm not fat." Sans winked towards the camera. "i'm just... _big-boned_."

(* _Rimshot*)_

Having walked right into that one, Luan gave a raucoutious bout of laughter, chasing the regretful ghost away from her peppy spirit.

"my lack of morning jogs aside, you still haven't answered the question. what's got you looking like it's monday ? especially on a wednesday."

And, he was back for seconds. Luan's expression significantly drooped. "I missed an opportunity, and now I'm kicking stones about it."

"you wanted your face to be licked ?"

"Eww, no !" giggled Luan, before sighing once again. "My brother and sisters boarded the _yip_ train, and I didn't follow immediately. Once I realised how great the idea really was, it was too late. It went right over my head, and it's still going while I'm left on my _dogs_ at the station."

"i can see that. the ride i mean. you've got lassie over there pretty excited." whistled Sans at the loops, swings, and oncoming torticolis that were Lesser Dog's ever-expanding neck.

"And it might never happen again." concluded Luan in a forlorn tone.

Sans' grin turned sympathetic. A fellow pun-lover going blue, how could he not have pity in his SOUL ? Frostdrake's case had already taken its toll on the well-known Underground's comedian. So seeing this little spark being snuffed out so soon, that was something Sans wasn't about to let happen. _Even if that meant nudging open a crack in his lid of secrets._

"hey now sunshine, don't give up so soon." said Sans, returning the poke from earlier in her sides, making her smile re-appear. Small and sad, but it was there. "tell you what, how about I give you a hand ?"

"Aren't you going to need it afterwards ?" was what Luan almost cracked, but washed up by hope, she settled for a soft "Really ?"

Sans flashed a thumbs up. "yup. all i'm asking ya is to close your eyes."

"That's not a weird demand at all." smirked the comedienne.

"go weird or go dim, sunshine. i'm good either way, but what about you ?" said Sans, inquisitively raising the edge of his eye socket.

Luan scratched her chin as though she was giving it a thought. But inwardly, she had made her mind before her com _pun_ ion had even finished his question. Weirdo was pratically her middle name, gracefully bestowed to her by bullies in Elementary School, and which she had taken immense pleasure in waving it in their faces like it was a compliment to crush any feeling of satisfaction.

"Do your magic, Sans ! As long as it doesn't involve _heart-breaking_ treachery. Get it ?" she jested.

"heh, good one. now, close your eyes. and no peeking."

Luan obeyed, coating her vision in darkness, and highering her other senses. Oh, she could still feel the Nice Cream's chocolate rolling off her tongue after all this time. It was a wonder why Adrien's business had not made it big yet ! Huh, were her gloves always that itchy ? Also, she just noticed Sans' smell. Grease, condiments, and a light stench of dirty laundry. It was laziness focused into a single odour. But she almost picked up a faint trace she couldn't quite place, but reminded her of Lisa's room for some reason.

But the sense that was being tickled in the weirdest manner had to be her hearing. At first, she simply heard a small pulsating sound, but it did nothing to overlap her siblings' cries of joy, the giggling of Lily being petted, or Luna shouting lyrics left, right and centre.

But soon, all those sounds were smothered by a deafeningly quiet buzzing. And through the silence, she heard something. It was the best she could describe it, _something_. She could almost place the sound as akin to one a modem from the 80's-90's would make, but it the garbling was even wilder, glitchier, and she could feel it coming from all directions at once. And yet, there was something intelligent in this noise, accurate, with a meaning and a mind.

On the verge of adaptating, her ears deciphired it. It wasn't garble, it was a language. But she didn't get to understand a word of it.

The snap of fingers rung. A * _ping_ * echoed. The world around her shifted for an insant.

Her eyes blasted open, and so did the wind in her face. She was sitting just behind her brother, her legs perfectly wrapped around Lesser Dog's neck as though she had been there for hours. In her awe and intense confusion, she reached for her brother's shoulders for support, making Lincoln jump.

"Whu- Luan ?!" shouted the bewildered boy, catching the attention of the passengers in front of him.

"How did you get here ?" asked Lynn.

"Did Lucy lend you her freaky teleportation powers ?" theorised Lana. Down on the ground, Lucy's pencil broke in her crushing fist, without even a hint of annoyance crossing her features. She casually discarded it, and took another one out of her backpack.

Luan stayed silent for a moment, unsure if she should tell them what little she knew, or if she should keep it a secret to avoid further confusion. Lesser Dog's neck took another sharp turn, pumping the teen's thrill meter up to eleven, and making her toss the conundrum out of the window, without even opening it. "Who cares about that ?! This ride is awesome !"

"Good enough for me !" concurred Lola, and the foursome, plus one, went back to enjoying the ride in the loudest way they could. Inwardly, Luan gave Sans her deepest thanks.

"you're welcome, kiddo." chuckled Sans, hearing the gratitude somehow. He also felt he was being watched, and turned to find Lily looking at her with curiosity only a child that young could muster. Sans was unfazed, and brought two fingers over his inexistant lips with a small wink. Lily copied the motion, adding the shushing FX, and innocently went back to her activity. Unseen once again, Sans slipped out of the area. That nap wasn't going to take itself.

* * *

Fifteen more minutes trickled down the hourglass, and that was when the excitement began to die down. As soon as it did, a thought sprouted through Leni's mind, that made her gasp in horror. "OMGosh you guys, we're losing time here ! The night's coming, and worst of all, we're making Papy wait even more !"

Her shrill bout of enlightenment brought all eyes on her, even the monster's, and realisation spread like a plague. Schedules, may they be of a quest or of patrols, weren't being respected here, which only spelled trouble. Mutual agreement shone across the twelve pairs of eyes.

"Sorry big gal. It's been fun, but we've gotta go now." apologised Lincoln. Seemingly understanding their plight, Lesser Dog lowered her head to let the kids jump off her. Lincoln trudged towards the MERCY Button, and ended the fight.

* _YOU WON ! (About time !) You've earned 0 EXP and 60 Gold._

 **Fight over.**

The SOULs quickly reentered their owners' chests, but certainly not as quick as Lesser Dog's neck zipping back through its tracks like a well-oiled measuring tape, and forcing the Louds to duck from Lesser Dog's happy face whizing through the air. Her body did a somersault when reuniting with its head, and the guard made a perfect landing on her feet. She gathered her shield and dogger, but decided, before departing, to return the humans' kindness, with a mighty lick over their cheeks. Some giggled at it, others cringed in disgust, but nobody was more pleased than Lana, to whom Lesser Dog added extra nose nuzzling.

"Aww, yes you're a very good guard. Yes you are, yes you are." cooed Lana, as she ruffled and pressed Lesser Dog's furry cheeks together. The petting session finally adjourned, Lesser Dog bounded out of the area, crossing a large bridgeless gap with one swell swoop.

"Holy moly, check all that dough !" said Luna, balancing in her palm the very badly sewn, but very well-filled pouch Lesser Dog had left for them. "There's enough for four Nice Creams in there ! Or for every row of Prenium Seats at a KISS concert !"

"She gives us a ride _AND_ she pays us for it ? Talk about a Loud's best friend !" guffawed Luan. "Get it ?"

Lori paid the joke no mind, and transferred the Gold to the Loud Bank. She watched the rising number with a certain glee, with every coin securing them a place for the night a little more. They already had a lot, but if a frozen treat was worth 15 Gold, then there was no such thing as having too much of it. Her deed done, she scooped Lily back in her arms, and was ready to proceed.

The area they were in had a dead end ahead, opposite to the way they came from, with only snow and dull rocks to give it even a semblance of personnality. The logical way was thus concluded to be the small path on the kids' right, meekly bridged to another small zone and a path to continue.

But of course, it couldn't be that easy. The access to the small wooden bridge was blocked by a row of spikes, making the Louds groan.

"You know the drill everyone. There's a puzzle around here somewhere, so let's get cracking." said Lori, starting the search for any rock they could lift in hope to find for a clue. Before she could start mulling about that ' _Dog Marriage_ ' sign from before, she noticed something odd with the snow behind her, a couple of feet away from the barricaded passage. "I know I'm about to sound litteraly stupid, but does that snow seem a bit... too white ?"

"That's not such a stupid thought." replied Lincoln earnestly, wincing a bit at his big sister's side-glare, not keen on anyone but herself calling her stupid. He poked the snow with his boot, and the spot easily parted, revealing a tiny part of a drawing. "Lana ? We could use some good digging over here."

"Already on it." said Lana, already digging through the blanket of snow like a hound trying to find the bone it had buried two weeks prior. In a matter of seconds, the inscription was revealed in broad daylight.

Lisa was just as fast to pour in her analysis of the black drawing. "Hmm, this looks like a map of some kind, of this very area, no doubt. Due to the crudeness of this drawing, it is safe to assume that this red 'X' marks the spot we need to investigate to continue. Yes, upper right corner, encircled by three objects."

"Like those three rocks !" finished Lynn, catching on. She made quick use of her well-trained legs, and reached the spot. "Right as always, pointdexter ! There's a hidden switch here !" She gave it a good twist, and the spikes retracted into the ground.

"Welp, that was easy !" chirped Luan.

"Yo, are those humans ?"

 _Jinxing them good._

The kids made a sudden about-turn upon hearing the chillax voice, and saw a mismatched group of monsters coming their way. They recognised one of them instantly, his long carrot nose and round bald head instantly sparking up the Louds' memories, especially a happy Lola's.

The tallest of the group also struck a familiar ressemblance to the bubbly jokester of the group, but after giving the bird another look, she knew this wasn't her good pupil. Instead of a _cool_ blue plumage, the bird had vibrant green feathers, his grin was a good deal more assertive, and a big pair of shades had been thrown on the tip of his beak. Where Snowdrake had aim to please his audience, this odd cousin looked like he had no care in what said audience thought of him.

But despite the familiarity of the first and the attitude of the second, it's the third one that, strangely enough, had all the Louds' attention. Nothing special about the guy, his stout white body had the crude shape of a stereotypical UFO, with three curved little horns on the top. Two thin arms slithered on the sides of his horizontal body, and four twig-thick legs were somehow supporting the whole lot. He had two rectangular eyes, one on each end of his slime-looking face, both shifting from left to right and vice-versa in a blasé way. Two large nostrils were plastered on the dead center of his face, just above his M-shaped mouth and its bloated lips.

And, for some reason they just couldn't place, every sigh that was escaping through those lips every five seconds made waves of irascibility splash against the humans' minds. A sentiment that seemed to be shared with the two monsters, if the comfortable distance they were keeping with him was anything to go by.

"Yo Ice, looks like you weren't pullin' my leg." smoothly pursued Not-Snowdrake, giving Ice Cap a teasing wing jab, who accepted it without flinching. He then turned a slightly mischevious smirk in the Louds' direction. "It's so weird. They dress differently, yet they all look kinda the same. Down with comformism, yo !" he chanted, sending a feathered rock sign to the ceiling.

"Hey ! We do not look alike !" said the twins in perfect unison, not really helping their case.

"He is not entirely wrong, why with our shared DNA due to our siblinghood." observed the bespectacled pre-schooler-yet-already-graduated-child. "But if anything, the sameness of our genes still giving such different results, may they be physical – Lincoln's alabaster hair, Lucy's ivory skin, the ephelides of some of us – or mental – self-explained here – is the best exemple of the wonderous diversity the human race as a whole-"

"NEEEEEERD !" finally shouted the bird monster. The sportaholic brunette shook her fist in defiance at him; nobody called her siblings names, and certainly not when she was just about to do it herself. Lisa directed her own smoldering glare at the monster. Being interrupted during one of her lectures was one of the problems she had sought to use all her brain capacities to **eradicate** from this world, along with the energy crisis, and oatmeal raisin cookies. Or as she liked to call it, ' _the greatest human fraud since the Sokal Hoax_ '.

"Urrrgh, can we go somewhere else ?" rose the nasally voice of the alien-ish monster, fiddling with the cellphone in his hand. "This place has no wi-fi. Sooo lame."

* _Bop_ *

"OW !" yelped Luna, both in surprise and in pain. She quickly turned to the assailant of her innocent left row of ribs, with a most pointed look. "What the heck was that for ?!"

Lynn seemed just as shocked by her own action. "I-I'm so sorry, my fist just went off on its own ! I was just listening to that weird guy talking, and for some reason, it made me want to punch something really hard."

"I know, right ?" said Leni, of all people. "I don't know why, but I just felt super mad for a moment. I wanted to sew someone's mouth close, then bash their head with a model prop !" she exclaimed, feeling a little scared of those violent thoughts popping into her head.

"And I wanted to bite someone, and shake 'em around like Charles' chew toy, before burying them under two layers of concrete." confessed Lana, feeling a bit woozy.

"Gabbah ! Bang bang !" Lily added to the mix, swinging her squeaky hammer around like a bearded Norwegian God.

The spreaded violent thought effect, Lincoln noticed, wasn't only restricted to human minds. Ice Cap's focused stare fell into a cringe, and the bird monster's smile looped itself into a grimace. They looked as uncomfortable as the Louds to be with this _cringy, jerky, no-good pile of-_

"Woah, keep it PG in there ! I don't even know half of those words !" exclaimed Lincoln to his ghost narrator, trying to cover the very explicit description of the origins of the monster, as well as the way it smelled. Which, to be honest, was pretty bad.

"Urgh, why did we even bring him here ?" said Ice Cap to the green teen.

"Dude, it's _**Jerry**_. Nobody brings that guy anywhere, he brings himself and never leaves." he whispered back to the little snowman. His expression lightened up with an idea. "Brah, I've got a plan. But we're gonna need help. Are you sure these humans can follow ?"

"I told you, they're super cool ! Especially the pink one..." said Ice Cap, awkwardly fiddling his stubs together. Noticing the meaningful eyebrow wriggling of his senior, he stomped his foot. "Look, do you have an escape plan, or not ? He's starting to open his bag of crisps !"

Despite his warm feathers, the bird monster shuddered. "Yeah, I can hear it. Okay, here's the laydown..."

"What are they mumbling about ?" said Lynn in high suspicion. "I don't like those sneaky little smirks they have."

"That's ridiculous ! Ice Cap's smile is great and adorable !" blurted out Lola, before her cheeks turned as pink as her coat. "Normal ! I meant normal !"

"That's not what I heard~" Lana said, with a playful smirk so toothy, Lola could feel it from the back of her skull. A dark frown immediately spreaded across its front.

"If you don't wipe that grin off your face in the next three seconds, I'll finish what nature started." was Lola's icy threat. Lana's lips immediately closed to protect her precious dentition, highly necessary for her daily consumption of sugar and other miscellaneous food she'd find stuck under the stairs.

"Well whatever they're talking about, let's hope they make it snappy. Hearing that guy eat his crisps is driving me nuts !" growled Lynn.

"Aw c'mon, don't let it get to you, sis." chirped Luan, joke hot on her tongue. "After all, you can't-"

* _Crunch_ *

Luan blinked at the pealing sound of Jerry munching on his nacho-coated triangles. "As I was saying, you can't-"

* _Crunch_ *

A frown appeared, and the faint sound of a boiling kettle could be heard. "You can't-"

* _Crunch*_

Luan was grinding her teeth with ferocity, and the whistling sound got louder. " _You can't-_ "

 _ ***CRRRRUNCH***_

"CLOSING YOUR MOUTH WHEN EATING IS NOT JUST A THING FANCY PEOPLE DO, YOU KNOW !" flared up Luan, as there were few better ways to mess with her nerves than to constantly interrupt her punchlines. Not content with being a rude annoyance, Jerry didn't even spare a glance in Luan's direction, and kept eating his crisps as loudly as possible.

It was when her roommate began advancing, with her hands bent into claws full of malice, that Luna intervened. "Whoa there, Grouchy Groucho. I know he's annoying as heck, but remember the first rule about haters." Luan's initial response was akin to a growling dobberman. In retaliation, Luna poked her broad forehead. "Loons', c'mon."

"...Haters be the real losers." Luan finally gave in.

Luna gently brushed her little sister's bronze hair. "'Atta girl."

With Luan quelled and the other humans desperately trying to ignore Jerry's lack of manners, that even Lana wrinkled her nose at, Ice Cap and the bird monster disbanded, having apparently agreed to a plan. The shade-wearing monster whipped around to face the humans.

"Usually, I don't follow the crowd. _Chilldrake_ ain't no sheep, yo !" he pridefully threw another rock sign. "But hey, life's like a box of chocolates. You can't eat the same one every time, or soon you'll conform to it. Be wild ! Be an explorer ! Shake that chocolate box 'till it turns another flavour !"

"That makes no sense, and I'm pretty sure that's not how the saying goes." quipped Lori, clearly not impressed by Chilldrake's rebellious spirit. But the monster was too much of a rebel to register her naggy remark.

"So y'know what ? Let's battle !" announced Chilldrake. Lincoln almost expected a competitive chiptune to ring out after that. Instead, eleven coloured hearts were summoned forward.

 **Fight engaged !**

* _"Chilldrake and Ice Cap(less) appear ! **Jerry** is there too, being rude."_

"It looks like our spirit companion is not fond of him either." acknowledged Lucy, in her usual monotone. "I agree. I feel the ember of contempt lighting up in my SOUL." As if to prove her poing, the yellow gleam of said SOUL fluctuated.

"Easy there, spookums." chuckled Lynn, patting her little sister's dark scalp. "You might bite him if you aren't careful."

"A battle ? Wow, can this get any more lame ?" complained Jerry in-between bites.

* _Bop_ *

"Sorry !" said Lynn as Lucy fell like a log on the crunchy snow.

" _Sigh._ "

"Okay, who should we _Check_ first ?" asked Lincoln, feeling a little nervous. This was their first time facing three enemies at once, even though one of them didn't look like he wanted to fight. Yet here he was, rearing his little stubby fists.

"Hmm..." voiced Lori, weighing the options with acuity. Lily managed to steal her attention by giving her hair a light pull. "Do you have an idea, little missy ?" she mused. The tot replied in a blabbering manner, adding theatrics : A stretching of her pudgy cheeks, followed by a raspberry and smacking her hands against her eyes.

"A little rough, but she basically said, ' _Let's do the one with the big face first, so we won't have to look into it later_ '." translated Luan.

"I couldn't agree more." said Lori. She knew she was coming as quite rude, but so was the infuriating crunching sound he was making. Seriously, how deep was that packet ?! "Lincoln, _Check_ him."

"Aye-aye, Lori." nodded Lincoln, going for Jerry's name. He found himself strangely straining to approach his arm, and even more when he had to press the _Check_ option. He didn't have to look far to find the culprit of that. ' _Come on, what about that 'you gotta keep going' speech of this morning ?Do it for the team ! Don't be a_ baby _!_ '

* _..._

The strain disappeared, the option was chosen, and the narration began, not without a vehement hint of irritation.

* _" **Jerry.** ATK 0, DEF 30. Everybody knows Jerry. Not that they want to. Doesn't have an attack of his own, just makes the other attacks last longer. The basic type of action of a crummy **little** -"_

The white-haired boy was quick to cover his mouth to stop the rather colourful lingo from flying out of his mouth. The muffled result thankfully didn't reach any good translation in his younger sisters' dictionaries, but the older ones certainly did, making their cheeks flare up. Once he was done, the red in Lincoln's eyes moved to his cheeks with great awkwardness.

"Could we forget I just said any of that ?" pleaded Lincoln. There was not enough soap in the world to wash off what he had just said.

"Curfew ? More like Cur-fail !" said Chilldrake out of the blue.

"..."

"KA-sigh." huffed Jerry.

"He's stealing my line." said Lucy, with a hint of aggravation and a slight will for violence. And when you knew Lucy, it was the equivalent of a war declaration.

Chilldrake began the turn by flapping his wings, sending rows of razor-sharp feathers in the Louds' direction. Unlike Snowdrake though, the feathers weren't flawlessly following the tracks, and purposefully poked from the sides to widen their range of attacks. They were going _wild_ ! (* _Rimshot_ *)

Ice Cap, unwilling, but out of his friendship with Chilldrake, added his mist attack, but much wider than usual. Still, it effectively reduced the kids' room for dodging about, and the thick mist made it quite hard to spot the human-thirsty feathers in advance.

As for Jerry, he just kept going through his bag of crisps, being rude and loud. And not the good kind of loud !

A deduction of 3 _HP_ due to the feathers was made to Lisa, Lincoln, and Luan. Lana and Lucy were more lucky, with the accidental collision of their arms against Ice Cap's mist draining 2 _HP_ away from them.

"Five out of eleven ? Wow, you guys really suck at this."

And Jerry's comments weren't making it any more fun, on whatever side.

* _Whack_ *

* _You feel like-_

"If it's not helpful, I don't want to hear it." groaned Lincoln, as he rubbed his sore behind. Thankfully, he found no shape of Lynn's boot printed on his buttocks.

"Sorry." Lynn pitifully apologised, as she helped her brother back on his feet.

"It's okay. Years of being _Lynn-sanity_ 's go-to dummy for new wrestling moves kinda builds you a resistance against roughousing."Lincoln brushed off with a cocky grin.

"Hey, good to know. There's a few moves I've been dying to try out, but most of the boys at my school are all wusses. Glad to know you're not one of them." snickered Lynn, her dangerous smile making Lincoln's cockiness evaporate as fast as it had appeared.

* _Your big mouth strikes again._

' _Thanks, that really needed to be said._ ' Lincoln mumbled inwardly.

* _You're welcome._

Lincoln facepalmed. Only Lincoln felt the pain. Lincoln felt pretty dumb. _Moving on._

"Okay, that's one guy checked." said Lincoln. "Now let's go for another-"

"Hold on that thought, lil' bro. I think I'm pickin' up something." interrupted Luna.

"Picking up ? Like radio waves ?!" Leni excitedly clapped her hands. She then began fiddling with her sister's beanie. "Lemme see if I can get that super funky station Dad was listening to that one time !"

With an aggravated sigh, Luna swatted the blonde's hand away. "Not like that, dude. I'm talkin' about the signs Shady over there is makin' with his wings."

Her siblings looked at Chilldrake, and caught the discreet yet clear movement of the tips of his wings. Pointing at them, then at himself and Ice Cap, then mimicking letters, then a pair of feet walking away. Ice Cap aided in the endavour by casting quick glances at Jerry without turning his head, with the stout monster being none the wiser.

"'D'... 'I'... 'T'... 'C'- Oooh !" Luna struck her palm with her fist in realisation, and lowered her voice to a whisper, "Guys, they're asking help to ditch him."

"Let's do it." immediately struck Lori, getting a few odd looks for it. "No really, I have litterally no problem with leaving that guy behind all alone. Toriel would support me, I have not a single doubt about it."

"Are you sure she wouldn't be a little more _Toriel_ -ant ?" jested Luan, before turning her peppy smile upside-down. "Wow, even I thought that was a bad one. Never mind, let's leave him."

The idea was met with almost unanimous agreement, save for a sole blonde who, in her rich green SOUL, felt that this was not quite moral. "Isn't that a little mean ? I mean, I know he's, like, rude and gross, but are we really that much better if we leave him behind ?"

"Your heart is in the right place, but I must disagree with you. I am rather impervious to showing emotion, especially around a total stranger, but I still grant them the a smidge of acknowledgement to carry on a conversation. Yet here, I can safely say that I feel no ounce of sympathy for this monster whatsoever." Lisa said, ever the blunt one.

"Yeah, he stinks big time. And that's usually a friendship criteria for me !" Lana gesticulated. "I can't help it, it's so weird. I usually don't shoot down someone on first impression."

"I do ! And I've never felt more compelled to do it than right now !" huffed Lola in the most earnest way possible. It's not like she was proud of it, and she had lowered her standards thanks to Goat Mom's advice and some mingling with young monsters back in the Ruins. But now, that irking feeling in her gut was back, more vehement than ever, and it screamed to follow Chilldrake's plan.

But though part of her agreed, greatly surprising herself, Leni had yet to be fully convinced. "All I'm saying, is that maybe we should be more com-pra-hensive. Besides, he's not all that gro-"

* _ **Sluuuuuuurp**_ *

Leni could feel every hair on her body standing on tense end. In fact, she could even feel every hair composing her long and sily hair doing the same, making it feel all tousled. Her hands, previously clasped into a collected manner, were now bent into stressful claws. And her expression had shifted from a hopeful smile, to the usual disgruntled reaction to the sound of a fork slowly squealing across a porcelain plate. Or in this case the sound of the tongue of a monster licking fingers coated in cheese powder.

All in all, the bubbly blonde looked like she had just been announced, on the dawn of a raveneous Shopping Day, that every Winter Sale had been sold off overnight during a special nocturnal event, including the pair of boots she had been drooling over for months. A bit of a stretched-out example, but the best reference her siblings could get to at the moment. And needless to say, it was a pretty worrying sight.

"Uh, Leni ? Are you okay ?" probbed Lana.

Leni dropped her cringing expression for a frown, followed by a flat " _Okay, let's do it._ ".

"Um, are you sure ?" asked Lynn, a bit taken aback by the Lucy vibe she was getting here.

" _Dead sure._ " Leni concluded.

"...Would you like to hold Lily for a moment ?" asked Lori.

" _Yes. Yes I would._ " said Leni, her voice still as dry as a two month-old biscuit. She received the toddler, who began nuzzling her coat and babbling her name, and her features gradually softened.

Lincoln turned his attention from Leni to the ACT button, and opened the panel. As he imagined, the _Ditch_ option appeared, waiting to be acted. The boy looked at his sisters, saw them do a synchronised nod, and adjourned the option. A white glint twinkled against the surface of eyes and shades, and the two monsters nodded back to the siblings.

"Hey, Jerry !" called Ice Cap.

"Huh ?" grunted Jerry, interrupting his loud finger-licking.

"There's a Free Wi-Fi spot over there !" said Chilldrake, dramatically pointing his wing behind the saucer-shaped monster.

Jerry turned around, gracing humans and monsters of his naked behind. Only Lily escaped the sight, due to Leni hiding the view, and sparing her of the strong feeling of nausea spreading all around her.

Jerry scanned the area for that precious spot, but after a minute of doing so – he REALLY wanted that wi-fi – he found none. "Heeey, there's no spot. There's no anything. What are you guys even talking about ?"

A blank silence answered him. Jerry turned back to see that he was now completely alone now. He whipped his gaze around, but only met snow and trees. And lacking manners he may be, Jerry also wasn't stupid.

"They left me behind ! SOME friends..." Jerry snorted in disdain. "Tch, who cares ? It was getting cold anyway." And with that he walked away, mumbling and grumbling under his breath.

"...Is he gone ?" asked Lola as she held the pose of an arrow pointing upwards while being on top of Lucy and Ice Cap, and Lynn at the bottom supporting the lot. This was one of the three human-monster sculptures that the thirteen kids had managed to form behind the three pine trees at the top left corner of the zone.

"I can't hear any slurping, and I don't feel annoyed anymore. So yeah, I'd say so." observed Lana with her youngest sister in her hands, and sitting atop of Lincoln, himself standing atop on Luan and Leni's hands.

"Cool ! It means we can stop doing... whatever it is we're pulling off." said Chilldrake, posing on the tip of his feet with his chest heavily bended forward, with Luna mirroring his pose. Perched on their hands, was the laying form of Lori, one leg in the air, head thrown backwards, and her arms lifting Lisa to the top of the tree. The little genius was standing on the tip of one foot, and had her backpack under her arm. "Seriously though, why are we looking like a friggin' fountain display ?"

"Dude, I have no clue." wheezed Luna, starting to feel a certain soreness down her back acting up. "What do you say we end the fancy posing, and switch to dogpile ?"

"That's a deal." And just like that, all pyramids toppled over. The thirteen youths looked at eachother, and began to laugh. To the two monsters, it was just a fun moment out of the blue, but for the Loud kids, it was how a good chunk of their convoluted and zany plans usually ended. And it was just great that way.

"We did it ! We beat the troll at his own game !" celebrated Lincoln. "Could've done it without the image at the end..."

"Looks like he made himself the _butt_ of the joke !" cackled Luan, rising groans and shudders in remembering the nightmarish sight. Those effects seemed to be bouncing off Luan's spirit like balloons. "C'mon, I'm _crack_ ing up over here !"

"Enough ! We get it, he was naked !" hissed Lola, feeling like she wanted to hurl, but couldn't thanks to her stomach being empty of any proper consistance.

After this (un)pleasant levity, the pile disbanded, and the two fronts were quickly rebuilt. "Woo, there's no better feeling than getting Jerry to take a hike. Nice reflexes, humans." said Chilldrake, stretching his wings.

"Yeah... does that mean we're cool, and we can end the battle now ?" Lynn asked hopefully, looking at her SOUL still dangling in the air.

"Yeaaah, no." smirked Chilldrake. "Just because you've got an A in Gym doesn't mean you've bought my respect. I was told you were one cool bunch, and I wanna see more of that !"

"Can't we just talk about it ?" offered Leni, but didn't need a verbal answer, as the four option buttons reappeared before them. Leni quietly groaned; they had already lost so much time with their resting and Lesser Dog. Papyrus was waiting for them, for Pete's sake ! And she didn't want to be late for her wed- for the puzzle ! Which, if it could get to the level of awesomeness of the one who made it, would certainly be interesting...

"LENI ! Keep your head up instead of letting it lose in the clouds !" admonished Lisa.

"Oh Lisa, that's silly ! Everyone knows clouds are up in the- Eeek !" yelped Leni as she nearly dodged one of Chilldrake's attacks, making a tiny gash in her coat. Which to Leni, was almost as bad as getting hit.

Chilldrake's pattern this time was his 'remix' of Snowdrake's other attack. Single spinning feathers were coming from every side, but instead of getting to the humans' level and going in a straight line, the feathers were swooping down from the ceiling like shots from bombers. Not the easiest attack to dodge, but certainly made easier by Ice Cap's abstention. The little snowman observed the scene with a certain anxiousness, keeping his eyes on the posh blonde, and silently praying for her safety. When she made an skilful pirouette to dodge a couple of feather saws, making her long blond hair flutter in the air, Ice Cap could feel his little SOUL sway. Could a girl be anymore ravishing ?

"See ? I've warned you." lectured Lisa. Leni, the only one had gotten hit, rubbed the spot she had just been struck by with silent shame. Seeing this, Lisa let her smidge of guilt talk before it could distil itself across her vast mind. "Oh, don't be too hard on yourself; I have myself been hit by his precedent assault after all." she admitted. It was stroking Lisa's ego quite a bit, but it still earned her a grateful smile and hug out of Leni. A win-win situation, the prodigy proudly concluded.

Chilldrake wasn't really on the same wave of enthusiasm, and raised an eyebrow at his little buddy. "Dude, why aren't you attacking ?" he asked.

"Because that's not why I came here." murmured Ice Cap.

"I'm gonna need more info than that, Ice."

"I've already fought them, and I'm not here for a second round. I'm too grateful for they did for me." he asserted.

"You've got a funny way of showing it." grumbled Lana under her breath, still rubbing awaythe frostbites on her left arm.

"No, the real reason I'm here... is to show them something." He pointed at Lola. "To show her something."

Something... for her ? Despite her best efforts, Lola couldn't fight away the flutter that swayed its way across her heart. But she did a fine job repressing her temper, thus not kicking the shin of the couple of whistlers and chucklers she could hear behind her. Instead, she focused her attention on the uncertain little snowboy, and looked as he stood straight even though his almost non-existant knees were shaking.

' _Aaah ! Even his stage fright is adorable !_ ' Lola internally squealed, before she internally slapped her internal face. ' _Have some dignity for Pete's sake ! You're Lola Loud, the unattainable Pageant Queen ! You can't just make goo-goo eyes with the first The kid is nice, just look at what he's got to offer, and nothing more. He's a friend, end of the story, no walk into the sunset._ '

Lola sealed that thought when, after the apparition of the ACT button right at her hand's reach, she pressed the suggested option, _Fashion_. That word, normally so dear to her little glittery heart, didn't so much as stir a twitch in her impassive expression.

A certain fashion-obsessed sister of hers that had peered over her shoulder though, couldn't hide her excitement. "Fashion ? Are we having a fashion show right now ?!" Leni took a hold of Lucy's arm, who winced at how firm the blonde's grip was. "Lucy, call me crazy, but I have an idea to pull you right from the 16th Century to the 21st Century, and you're gonna love it !" Leni announced with glee.

"If you think that'll ever happen, then yes, you are crazy." Lucy shot back, meekly trying to pull away to salvage her arm and her dignity.

Ice Cap took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. Blazing passion had not left his spirit, and through those small windows, the fire seemed to have grown in intensity. In fact, it was so powerful... _the Louds could've sworn they'd seen a strike of **lightning.**_

"Let me show you what I've learned." said Ice Cap mystically. The monster child rose on one foot, and began spinning like a top, gaining enough speed for his form to become a blurry twister. The impressive stunt became even more so when his body lit up with a radiant white glow, that forced the Loud kids to shield their faces. Except for Leni, who proved herself worthy of her Papy's compliment from earlier by putting her sunglasses on.

As such, when the light works powered down, she was the first to fill her expression with wonder. "Guys, you've gotta open your eyes. Now."

"I like my retinae to be functionnal, thank you very much." replied Lisa, keeping her eyes close.

"But your lives will be _litteraly_ over if you don't !"

Lori was about to give Leni a light scolding for using what was pretty much her trademark expression, but stopped when she saw just what had Leni so impressed. And it wasn't a cat playing the piano this time. Sensing the shift in the arms craddling her, Lily stopped playing Peek-a-boo, and produced a little "Ooo" of awe when she followed her big sister's gaze.

Lori nudged Luna, being the closest to her, and the rocker opened her eyes. Slowly at first, then snapped them wide open. "Well I'll be." she whistled with an approving nod. "And they said the 50's were six feet under. More like a couple hundred."

Out of curiosity, Luan took a peek, and was holding her sides the second after that. "Hahaha ! _Grave_ one, sis !"

And just like clockwork, the rest of the kids followed. One by one, they turned around and were swept in the excitement, making various noises that went from gasps to excited chatter, with some confusion sprinkled in. Lola was the last to do so, as she took the time to rub her eyes to adjust her vision.

But when it was her turn to spin around, she wondered if she should have her eyes checked. Then promptly decided against it. After all...

 _Why in the whole wide world would she want to unsee this ?_

{ _Johnny B. Goode – Instrumental_ }

Gone was the bald and naked little snowkid; instead, the monster stood with a 'leather' jacket thrown around his torso, with the words ' _Chill out_ ' imprinted on its back. His tight black jeans melted with his small black pointed boots, despite the lack of any feet. On his nose, rested a pair of black shades, slimmer than his avian pal, who had to lower his to get a good look.

But the true eye-catcher, the _icing_ on the cool cookie, was Ice Cap's new headwear. Or rather, his new hairwear. A short mop of icy-blue hair covered the top of his large head, but it was combed in the most 50's way possible. Short on the sides, but voluminous on top, and a small cowlick hanging at the front.

Ice Cap said he would make one heck of an entrance in the world of fashion, and boy, was he delivering, and not without his own original touch. His clothes and hair were glistening, seemingly reflecting the Underground's natural (?) light. Not only that, there was this crystaline appearance it had, almost as if...

"Are his clothes made of _ice_ ?" wondered Lana. "But that doesn't make sense ! Ice's all hard and cold, and his clothes are smooth and silky ! It just doesn't make any-" Her pigtails straightened in realisation. "Oh, right. It's still awesome though !"

"A type of crystalled water, with all its affinities, that can be as flexible and flowing as silk ?" said Lisa, her face progressively lighting up like a Christmas Tree. "It's brilliant ! It's mind-blowing ! It's-"

"Magic ? And the _freshest_ one at that !" cracked Luan, determined to do every ice pun she could before they'd leave this winter forest.

Once again, Lisa forced her incoming frustration back down her throat, but found the feat less painful to act, as the snarkful bile was not leaving a very sour aftertaste in her mouth. This new discovery was surprising, yes, but hardly an insult against science, and everything it had ever conceived and theorised. No physician would be rolling in their graves over that.

So all the young brainiac could muster was a click of her tongue, and her usual grumpy dismissal, "Sure, why not ?"

"Do you like it ?" said Ice Cap, his voice now as smooth as his jacket. He stretched an arm, and magic gathered at its tip. The kids were snatched from their amazed mindset for an instant, fearing an attack. But their worries were quickly put to rest when a small ice comb materialised instead. "Out of all the styles that went through my head, this was the one I absolutely wanted to do first. I saw all those pictures from human magazines – my sis always brings a couple back from the _Dump –_ and I thought it looked so cool." he pursued, swiftly passing the comb through his frost-composed hair. Yes, _through it_ , as the hair parted at the contact of the comb, and its cowlick wobbled like the gel-doused thread of hair it was mimicking. "And now that my hat's gone, I can bring it to life, all thanks to you. _I ain't no cube anymore_."

Chilldrake approved the motion with a feathered thumbs up, while flickering a stray tear away with his other wing. He didn't even bother denying it; his little buddy had finally become a rebel for life, and the teen had no shame to show how proud he was.

"I can't tell if he's being really cool, really dorky, or really cute." said Luna, stiffling a chuckle at the snow-ball of grease and 50's taking the pose before her.

"The correct answer would be ' _All of the above_ '." answered Lisa, a rare twinge of humour in her tone.

"That sounds about right." Luna nodded. She couldn't resist toe-tapping at the rockin' little tune stroking her ears, though she had no idea where it was coming from exactly. But whether that blaring juke-box was hiding behind a pine tree, or all in her mind, Luna didn't care. Rocker to her very SOUL, she couldn't shun that sweet little track. It was almost law !

"I know what I said about my battery, but..." said Lori, as her phone's flash went off. She didn't care that she probably would never show it to anybody, she wanted this picture pinned in her dressing closet, just to remind her that yes, she had indeed witnessed this. It would go right between Lucy's 'pink phase', and Leni coming home with an A+ in Mathematics.

"Aww, he looks so adorable !" Leni joyfully clapped, before bringing her hand under her chin, and giving it a thoughtful rub. "The Fifties coming back into fashion. I like it..." A smile graced her lips, as she imagined her whole family dressed accordingly, giggling at the imagination Lily's little dress, and adding sparkles in her eyes when she imagined herself with a large skirt, a turquoise jacket on a white buttoned shirt, little dainty white shoes, and a ribbon in her hair.

It didn't last long before the daydream added the obligatory skeleton of her dreams, pulling the same style as Ice Cap, but all the more visible by his larger stature. A toothpick wedged between his teeth, and a sparkling Harley under him, roaring with life and a red-coloured smoke that smelled like... tomato sauce ? The self-proclaimed ' _COOL DUDE_ ' shot a finger gun ahead, and the fair maiden was immediately smitten, both in her dream and in the real world.

"Guys, Leni is drooling again." remarked Lucy, nursing her sore wrist. Sewing expertise apparently granted you sturdy fingers as well, Lucy mused.

"Let her have her moment. She deserves it." said Lincoln, patting the top of her sister's hood. His mouth then started moving on its own again.

* _"Your Ice Cap has evolved into an Ice Class."_

Ice Cap/Class didn't outright show it – had to stay in character – but he was relishing the attention. He always had before, but this time, the pride that came with it was a million times more satisfying. The praise was no longer for what he had been born with, but for something HE had accomplished. There was a way to fame and recognition opened for him and his family now, and he had paved it himself.

But before he could drive down that road of glory, he had to check if it wouldn't crumble under his little boots. And that assurance could only come from the positive advice he was truly seeking for.

Steeling himself and cooling his jets, Ice Cap/Class turned to look Lola in the eye. He saw no amazement nor disgust in her gaze, just plain and neutral awe. "So... what do you think ?" he asked, scarcely believing that he had managed to say that without any nervous stutter.

Lola didn't answer immediately, and that simple fact felt so weird to her. For the second time this day, she was finding herself to be hesitant, and in front of the same monster. But could she truly be blamed ?

 _Not if you wanted your hair to be torn from your head by manicured claws, she wasn't !_

But seriously, everything was just coming to her so fast ! She had felt proud letting the kid go with dreams buzzing in his bloated little head. A career in fashion was something the little pageant queen could only approve, especially if she was the muse of it. But she hadn't expected him to act this quickly ! Heck, she had barely imagined seeing him again today, not that she had a problem with it. When he had said that he wanted to show her something, she expected some kind of sketches for future projects, or maybe a new hat.

Yet here he was, with a style right out of her Daddy's old flicks, amongst the ones she hadn't been allowed to watch. And she wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.

On one hand, the main guy of the movie was a complete tool. A womanizer that thought his coolness was enough to get any girl to fall on his lap, and make them trill like dainty little birds. Seeing this had enraged Lola to no end, and had left quite the nasty mark in the armrest she had taken a bite off. They had worked out some of his flaws at the end, but still !

On the other hand, the only reason she hadn't turned the movie off and cursing that character's name forever, besides the nice songs, was the main character's style. There was just something so rebellious yet classy about his clothes and his hair washed with hair gel, something that had wandered through the little princess' imagination more than once. And seeing it on this little monster, the one she had inspired to pursue his dreams and knew the sweetness he was capapble of, it gave the trend a whole other dimension.

Needless to say that Unattainable Pageant Queen Lola had been promptly smacked and shoved away by Lovey-dovey Lola, who was shattering windows with her squealing. So focused on the imaginary sparkles around Ice Cap/Class, Lola didn't notice her following bout of silence, nor did she feel the big smile blooming on her face.

Her reverie was blown sky-high when two fingers snapped before her face with the intensity of fireworks exploding right next to her. "Lola ! Snap out of it ! Geez, you're acting like Leni right now !" admonished Lana, incapable of remembering a single time she had seen her twin sister in such a state. Well, except with a certain Brit, but she could excuse that.

Back under earth, Lola, not too fond of being scared out of her skin, threw a murderous glance at the capped tomboy, who smiled sheepishly in return. She then turned back to Ice Cap, and adopted a more placid attitude than her inner selves were screaming her to take.

"It's a good first choice." she commended earnestly. "You managed to pull the bad boy style really well. And the haircut is a feast for the eyes, down to a tee. The edges are still a little rough with the clothes, but nothing that can't be improved. I give you a 9 out 10. But don't think that means you can rest on your laurels !" she snapped to a commanding tone, making the snowkid puff his chest like a soldier.

"One victory doesn't mean you've won the war, and I ain't exaggerating one bit ! Fashion can become a war zone when you least expect it ! The moment you get lazy and think you can take it easy – BAM ! – you get steamrolled by some new hot shot, or someone that likes their supremacy, or even some hussy who'll envy you and won't hesitate to trip you the moment she gets the chance !" Lola spoke the last part with barely concealed rage. Her siblings were quick to pinpoint the source, as she would more than occasionly rant and rave about her mortal enemy of the Pageant world.

Fortunately, she managed to cool her mind, and pursued. "What I'm saying is, this is a great start, but you can't take it for granted. You need to keep dishing out your best, and make that best even better than the last ! Don't meet expectations, steamroll them ! Am I understood ?!"

"Yes, ma'am !" saluted Ice Cap.

"I DIDN'T HEAR YOU !"

"YES, MA'AM ! I WILL DO MY BEST, MA'AM "

"DARN TOOTIN' YOU WILL !" barked Lola. The five seconds of silence that ensued quickly dissolved into fits of giggles between the two kids. They could only maintain such a serious façade for so long. The human pack watched the adorable scene with renewed smiles and warm hearts, both for each, and Chilldrake nodded his head respectfully. This was something even he could agree with.

* _"Ice Class got a 10/10."_

{ _Music stops. Or not, it's a very good tune._ }

"Alright, time for me to get outta here. The open road's still waiting for me." said Ice Cap/Class while straightening his jacket, trying to play it cool, before lowering his voice. "And Mom will have my head if I'm not back before curfew."

"Which in your case, means a pretty big deal." cracked Luan. Lana the Kid quickly drew, and Lola Luke followed just as quickly, both getting the comedienne in the forehead, making her do a flip before kissing the floor again. "Nice shot, didn't see it coming..." she commended dizzingly.

Indifferent to this action, the fashion-stricken monster shook Lola's hand. "It was real nice talking to you again. Hope you guys stick around for a while, so I can make that dress I promised you." His grin grew a little malicious. "And it'll give you time to rake up the Gold you'll need for it."

"Why, you dirty rapscallion !" Lola gasped mockingly, punching his shoulder.

Lincoln, full of pride and other fuzzy feelings, glanced at his sisters around him, and motionned to the MERCY button. His sisters nodded, and the sole brother wasted no time in pressing the golden _Spare_ choice.

* _"Ice Class has been spared !"_

"Here's a little something for, um, the lessons." said Ice Cap/Class, handing another little pouch full of Gold, a little lighter than the last one. "Thanks for everything, Lola. And, um... s-see ya."

"I sure hope so." Lola dared herself to say, keeping the exact emotional balance she wanted. Warm enough to sound honest, but with a pinch of sass to secure her title of Hard-to-get. She had a reputation to maintain.

With that, the little snowman waved good-bye to the other humans, who enthusiastically returned it, exchanged a fist-bump with his winged pal, whose little clacking noise with his mouth showed just how proud he was of him right now, and departed from whence he came.

"Such a nice guy." said Lola wistfully. She turned back to meet a sea of smiling sister faces, with Lincoln at the back letting them having their 'girl moment'. "What ?"

"Oh you know what's 'what'." Luna wriggled her eyebrows.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lola pouted away. "I just set him on the right tracks, and he followed them nicely. I gave him a pat on the head, and that's it. There's nothing else to discuss."

"I don't know, you seemed pretty happy seeing _him_ happy. A bit more than a mentor would do." said Lynn, teasingly patting her head, but not for too long, less Lola started to bare her teeth. She had only two of those hands after all.

"A boy who you can swap fashion tips with ! Like, Lola, you've hit the jackpot !" Leni grinned jovially.

"I'd say I'm wishing for your eternal happiness, but the most I can do to be sincere is wishing for the both of you to not die too soon." crowed Lucy, suddenly right on Lola's right.

"Thanks Lucy. You know how to warm a girl's heart." drawled Lola, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Urk, I hope not."

Even Lori couldn't fight the coy grin morphing on her face. "Soooo, should I call your Penguin Pastor plushie right now, or is it gonna be a tea party first ?"

"AUGH ! Back off already ! I told you there is nothing between us !" snapped Lola. "Seriously, can you be a little less invasive about who I decide to call my sweetheart or not ?!"

"HA ! YOU WISH !" rung Lincoln's cackle from behind her sisters' back.

Lola was about to retort with much vehemence, but was interrupted by Lily pointing a gloved finger behind them. "'Nowman." she babbled, announcing Ice Cap/Class' return. The snowkid had a look mixing anxiety and determination, with the latter being dominant in his strutting towards the humans.

"Oh, you're back already ?" asked Lola. Ice Cap/Class didn't answer, and stopped right in front of her, looking at her straight in the eye. "Uh, is there something you want ? You're looking kinda-"

* _Smooch!_ *

Let this day be known, enshrined in legends across the world, and relayed down through generations, as the day when someone, out of her family, managed to lay a kiss on Lola Loud's rosy cheek.

The princess herself felt her whole body freeze, save for that little cold spot on her face. Her world exploded in colours and thoughts zipping in front of her wide eyes, trying to work out some sort of logic about what just happened, no matter how simple the answer really was.. By the time they disappeared, Ice Cap/Class was long gone, and only remained ten sisters agape with joy, a confused brother, and a flaggerbastered monster.

"What ? What happened ? I didn't see !" said Lincoln, feeling, from the looks of his sisters and the back of his mind, that something important had just happened.

Lisa was the first one to recover, emotions only able to affect her so much, yet let that pinch of smugness find its way back into her voice. "I believe a counter-argument has been made."

Lola didn't debunk that thought. She simply carressed her right cheek, waiting for her mind to catch up and make a decision. Should she be bouncing off the walls about getting her first kiss from a boy outside of her big brother ? Or should she be exploding with wrath about that kiss being snatched off her like she was some little nobody, and from someone that ran away once his wicked deed done ?

None of those options could gain favour over the other. So naturally, a third one came to smash that balance into imaginary shards. To keep that blissfully happy smile on her face until the fuzzy feeling in her purring SOUL subsided. The motion was passed unanimously, and Lola went back to her siblings. She did not fear the gossip and overbearing, for she had a simple solution.

"Anyone who starts speaking about what just happened before we reach a place to sleep over to, gets to eat what they're wearing on their head." said Lola, just as blissful as before, yet somehow didn't remove the viciously threatening undertone the message had. When Lynn opened her mouth, she quickly found Lola's index blocking it, without even turning back. "And if you aren't wearing anything, don't worry. I can get creative."

Lincoln gave a nervous glance at the camera. "Welp, now we know. Lola _can_ make herself sound threatening without even trying."

"So, does that mean we can go now ?" asked Leni, wondering why her little green heart still hadn't returned to its little heart house, when MERCY had already been executed. The answer almost cost the bubbly teen a lock of her platinium blond hair, as she narrowly dodged a row of sharp-edged feathers aimed her way.

"Woah, hey ! A heads-up would be nice !" complained Lana, as she had a harder time in keeping herself safe while she had to move her still half-catonic roommate through the feather fury.

"Want a telegraph with it ? Rebel against the system, yo !" chanted Chilldrake, sending two more rows in a spiral formation. Thankfully, the humans managed to dive out of the way just in time, and the assault ended with no casualties. "You guys have been cool with Ice, I'll give you that. But I still ain't convinced you aren't a bunch of conformists !"

"But Lola has just promulgated the importance of art and its freedom. How does that count for nothing ?" dryly questionned Lucy.

"Because she sounded like a parent when she said it ! And there ain't a worse kind of buzzkill conformer than parents ! If I _want_ my room to be carpeted with wrappers and it's not leakin' cinnamon through the boards, then it's my biz ! Okay, Mom ?!"

"Lincoln, could you give us the rundown of this guy ?" asked Lori with a deadpan tone. The young woman had dealt with this type of mindset before, and it wasn't highering her opinion on the angrily squawking teen's convictions.

Lincoln promptly obliged, and selected the _Check_ , making him unleash his inner Narrator Mode once more.

* _"Chilldrake. ATK 12, DEF 7. There's nothing he cannot rebel against ! A good friend of Snowy, and mostly has the same attacks. Don't tell him that, or he'll make it rain !"_

"A friend of Snowdrake ?!" Luan gasped with joy. "I've found another pun buddy ! I don't know if it was that little Irish jig from earlier, but I'm hitting the _jackpot_ ! Hahaha, get it ?"

A collective groan arose, and Lincoln spoke, "Uh, I don't think he ever hinted he was into jokes."

"But he's gotta be if he's friends with my student !"

"Dude, _we_ are your family – heck, _**I**_ live with you – and that doesn't mean we spit out one-liners and puns like you do." said Luna.

"Well, it's never too late to turn over a new leaf. They are very light after all."

Luna shook her head. "You do realise that you're doin' what he's doin', right ?"

"Putting a label on a sentient species just because they look similar to various levels. For shame, Luan. For shame." admonished Lisa with a wagging of her finger.

Conscious of how bad that sounded, Luan's smile crashed down like a wet banana pie, as she rubbed her arm with a sorry expression. "I didn't mean it like that..."

"Of course you didn't. It's okay as long as you realise it." smiled Lori, feeling her inner Toriel kicking in.

"Yes, I do." sighed Luan. "You have to be careful..."

Lori's eyes widened at the sight of Luan's buck-toothy grin crawling back up. "Oh no."

"...When ruffling someone's _feathers_ !" she finished with a slap on her knee. She joyfully ignored the groans and jeers of her audience, which included the cool bird himself, but to a lesser extent.

"Not half-bad, but Snowy could do it so much better." dismissed Chilldrake, peering around with a wing above his eyes to get a better view. "Where is he, anyway ?"

"Oh, we saw him a while back ! Him and I became really good friends."

Chilldrake's demanour became a little friendlier hearing this. "Oh really ?"

"Yep, and I even got to become his teacher !" she announced with a good hint of pride.

Unfortunately, the respect wasn't mutual, as ire soon returned to the monster, transforming him into a mess of feathers once more. "TEACHER ?! Teachers are the worst of the worst, yo ! They're like parents, only they aren't ! Oh you're so gonna get it now..." he said, threateningly scratching the ground.

As she backed away in fear, it was then that Luan knew : she messed up. _BIG time_. Fortunately, her siblings didn't look too annoyed by her slip of the tongue, something she was very thankful for.

Something she was less thankful for, however, was Lola's following question. "So, remember that time you left a huge smear on my special white dress with one of your blueberry pies, and you defended yourself with ' _A little joke never hurt anyone_ ' ?" the little princess delightfully rubbed it in. "Oh, you thought I forgot, didn't you ? Well no, because just like that stain, it never came off."

Luan promptly harboured a frown not unlike a certain good emo friend of hers. _Karma._ So much more unpredictable than her, it was almost laughable. _Almost._

Chilldrake had his rebellious senses going haywire, and it was just the conviction he needed to unleash his most powerful attack. This time, the giant bird didn't merely make his wings flutter, instead going full unhinged windmill. Not only that, but he also angled his back to direct his furious feather fury to the ceiling instead of being directly aimed at the humans. The feathers, straight and pointy instead of curved and sharp like circular saws, flew high in the air, and remained there. Little group by little group, they added up to eachother, looking more and more like a cartoonish swarm of hornets looking down at its preys, with the desire to sting them until not a single spot of skin remained unbloated. It didn't help that every pointy end was indeed focused in the Louds' direction, who looked at the growing cloud with great fear.

"Lis', any course of action for us ?" said the sport-loving teen, in dire need of some sort of strategy.

"Running around like headless chicken. Not the most well-thought-out plan, but, seeing as our backpacks cannot offer any protection, the only one we have, I'm afraid." gulped the little genius.

"Sounds fair."

His swarm of feathers in place, Chilldrake threw his two wings in the air, their tips shaped into rock horns. But while this action felt electric, there was something solemn in the way he slowly brought them down, pointing at the cold ground like a Roman Emperor giving a chilling thumbs down, the one that allowed no Mercy on the field.

" **Drop it.** " Chilldrake brought his gavel down most, well, _chillingly_.

The dozens of feather-arrows showered upon the humans with heavy prejudice, and sent them scrambling around in panic. Fortunately – or not – those feathers were not as damaging as the boomerangs from before. Each white feather only chipped 1 _HP_ away, and the ones that grazed them didn't take a single bit of yellow away from the bars hovering above their heads. But did that tone down the unpleasantness of the situation ?

 _Well, have you ever felt the swipe of a cat's claw ? Not the kind that goes all the way to the spinal cord, but still enough for you to feel the sting ? Well, imagine if such a pain could be rained down on your whole body, with each swipe, no matter if they hit you sraight in the chest, or just nibble your nose, having the same intensity of pain ?_

 _That was pretty much what the kids were going through here._

Even Lily wasn't completely spared from this one. A feather managed to get through the shield that her big sister tried to make herself as, and pricked one of her fingers. The infant yelped, and shoved her fist inside her mouth, hoping the power of her magic kisses could fight off the nasty stingy sensation. Thankfully, due to the motherly power of the Blankie 2.0, no _HP_ was deducted from her.

The prickly onslaught lasted for about ten seconds, and though it didn't do too much damage, it certainly left the kids with a very sore feeling in their everything.

"Oooh, it feels like the time I fell into my sewing needle basket." groaned Leni pitifully.

"Yeah, or when I rolled into stinging nettles, minus the rashes." said Lana, applying cool and balming snow on her feathercuts.

"Or when I tried the wrong coffin." Lucy grimly reminded herself. As much as she made an inspiration out of pain and sorrow, she highly preferred her nocturnal/eternal rest to be surrounded by comfortable velvet rather than walls of needles and spikes.

"We need a plan to cool this angry bird, and we need it fast." asserted Lori, wearily observing Lily still sucking on her stung fist. "I think I litteraly speak for everybody when I say that I never want to experience this ever again."

"Hear hear, mates." preached Luna. She turned to watch the one-monster riot Chilldrake had begun, and became thoughtful. "You know, that dude kinda reminds me of a couple of blokes back in my class, who _loved_ to complain all the time."

Lori nodded with a little laugh. "Oh yeah, they were so loud and- wait a minute, didn't you become friends with them ?"

"That I did, sis." chuckled Luna, a bright grin spreading across her face like a bonfire. "And I think I know exactly how to get this monster out of his funk."

Her siblings were hesitant for an instant, but that's how far it got. The smile oozing with inspiration and confidence etched on the young rocker's face was speaking volumes, and not the boring kind ; it was almost as if it had a swing of its own, and it urged boy and girls to dance along.

Lincoln opened Chilldrake's ACT panel of options, and reached for the brand new choice, _Peace (yo)_. "Alright sis, the floor is all yours." said Lincoln with a mock bow.

Luna replied with a playful punch to the shoulder, and strutted towards Chilldrake, whose glare she could feel eyeballing her through his thick shades. The closer she got, the more aggressive his stance became. "What do you want ? You gonna bash me because I keep fightin' ?" was his cool question.

"Actually, I kinda get where you come from."

"AH-HA ! I knew you wouldn't understand ! You don't know my cause, dudette ! You don't get- wait, what ?" Chilldrake snapped out of his rebellious tirade, blinking owlishly. Did she just say what he thought she just said. "You... agree with me ?"

"Well, maybe not on the whole bashin' on my sister's pride – seriously, not cool – but I'm kinda with you about teachers. There are cool ones, but _jeez_ , they can be such a bore sometimes." groaned Luna, running a palm along her eyelids as unpleasant memories began to resurface. "I have that math teacher back in High School, and he has a way to explain the area of a circle that made drying paint sound fun. And I ain't even pulling your hair here; one day, Art class litterally left a white wall to dry off on the playground, and it was the most fun we ever had in his class !"

The tale of boredom struck the right chord in Chilldrake's SOUL, and the monster teen was quick to let his feathers down and open up. "Urgh, I know, right ? I have this super tight English teacher, and she won't stop repeating us the same sentences, with the same words, that we need to drill into our brains, or else we're a bunch of losers ! I mean, she doesn't outright say it, but it sure feels like it ! Who cares how I'm supposed to pronounce ' _colloquial_ ' ?! When am I ever gonna use that word for anything ?!"

"I know the feeling, brah. Everytime I try spicin' it up with some good ol' Brit accent, they say I'm 'tarnishing the beauty of the English language'. I mean, is that whack, or what ?!"

"School is just whack in general, yo." stated Chilldrake, his pose now completely relaxed. "I mean, no sea tea or Chilla-ColaMT inside the school, or three hours detention ? They don't drink a lot of it if they come with stupid rules like that."

"And what about the cafeteria ? I don't know if they do it at yours, but sometimes, they serve us what they call ' _Goulash_ '." Luna air-quoted with a sarcastic snort. "Yeah, what my Pop makes at home, that's Goulash. Rich, tasty, and good for the ol' bod. What they give us at school, it's called ' _Undercooked cat barf_ ', and nothin' else. And what do I do in that case ?"

"You gorge yourself on Cinnamon Bread." answered Chilldrake, sympathetic to the max.

"Not even cinnamon, dude. Plain bread and water, just like in prison."

Tasteless mush and plain water for a lunch ? Aghast inside, Chilldrake could only offer sympathy to his fellow youth, monster or not. "Way harsh. So, does that mean you also wished you didn't have to go to school everyday ?"

"No way, brah !" exclaimed Luna, chuckling at the monster's startled puffing.

"What ? But you just said-"

"I said a good chunk of what my school offers is bogus. And yes, there's been more than a couple of times when I wished my alarm clock would explose and I could go back Snooze Town. But... even if school itself feels like a drag... that doesn't mean I've got to just let it take me." Seeing the inquisitive frown made by the green bird's beak, Luna knew she had to be more specific. "Just because school's a bore, doesn't mean I can't do something about it."

Chilldrake tightened his brow, hopelessly confused by the human's words. "Like... what ?" he slowly articulated.

"Anything to make school life better, more rockin' !" Luna joyfully stated, waving her hands in the air with natural excitement. "Organising mini-concerts during recess or lunch breaks, parties after school, creating a club, helping to make better lunches, the list goes on ! And best of all, you can do it all with some help of your pals, or future pals, if you know what I mean."

"That's... that's true." admitted Chilldrake, his tongue slightly scalded by the fact that he had to agree with something that wasn't part of his ideals. It was like an antithesis of what he fought for ! Rebellion flowed in his veins like an unhinged flow of wild blood that simmered... um, very hotly !

But at the same time, his thoughts drifted to his own clique. Tamara, a gal who constantly proved that you didn't need arms to raise the roof. Rémy, who despite his appearance and first impression on him, was no sleezy rat, and one of the raddest dudes to be hanging out with. Terri, Jerry's sister, and everything he wasn't. Sweet, cool, and just plain awesome to be with.

And hey, anyone who could bear living with Jerry was worth of having a cult made about them !

And there was Snowy. Ah, _Snowy_. They said birds of a feather flocked together, and that couldn't have been more true with those two. Inseparable since they had been little chicks, they had gone through thick and thin together. He had taught Snowdrake to be more confident, and in turn, he had taught him the power of laughter. Few things were better than a laughing Snowy.

 _How he longed to see it again..._

Chilldrake released a wistful sigh he didn't know he was holding. His hot shot demanour had melted away entirely, leaving a puddle of forlornness with feathers and sunglasses. Not litteraly this time around, but still no easier to look at.

Luna's SOUL hummed, reverbating pity, but did not scorn its owner for her deeds. "Had a little breakthrough there, mate ?" she gently nudged his wing.

"Yep." uttered the feathered drake with a heavy SOUL. "I've been a bit of a major jerkwad, haven't I ?"

"A little heavy-handed, I'd say." quipped Lisa, closing the distance with the two teens with a clear aim to teach. "You are merely a rebel without a cause, but hardly fitting the description of a 'major jerkwad'. Ice Cap/Class' attitude towards you seems to be proof of that."

"You sure did a fine job taking him under your _wing_ !" cracked Luan, knowing she would have beat herself if she had missed the opportunity.

Lisa rubbed her temples with a sour sigh. " _Anywho_ , I must suggest that you take Luna's advice to heart. Trust me, human history has shown by many times that aimless and underthought rebellion only leads to more trouble. However, if you were to give things a little push in the right direction ever so often, they'd slowly but surely change for the better. And you could be proud of it, very much so. After all..." A sly smile bloomed across Lisa's features. "What sweeter victory is there than the one you get for playing by their rules ?"

This comment earned her a fist bump full of respect from her big sis, who then wrapped a friendly arm around Chilldrake's form. "So ? Ready to deal the good fight ?"

The question didn't even need to be asked, but the answer was something to behold, for Chilldrake finally chose to remove his sunglasses from his face, revealing his small golden eyes, that were glowing with gratitude. "Ice wasn't pullin' my leg when he said you guys were alright. I mean, if the nerdiest lookin' of your bunch can come up with that stuff, you guys must feel right at home here !"

The Louds rose confused eyebrows at that, but a laughing Luan was quick to dispell this mist. "Get it ? Because we're cool, and we're in a very cold forest ?" she chortled, well over the dismayed groans of her siblings. "You sir, are a true of my student."

"Yeah, he... _taught_ me a couple of things." said Chilldrake, hacking a bit at that word. Urgh, still didn't feel right to say it.

"So... we're cool ?" asked Lana hopefully.

Chilldrake winked, and gave the tomboy a thumbs up. "Yeah, we're cool."

* _"Chilldrake's spirit has been pacified."_

Lincoln was more than okay with them, and a without a second thought to spare, a _Spare_ was activated.

* _YOU WON ! You've gained 0 EXP and 32 Gold._

 **Fight ov-**

"Well _there_ you are." rose a nasally voice. An obnoxious shudder went down all spines, and for a very good reason.

* ** _Jerry returns._**

"There was no Wi-Fi spot, I didn't even get a bar." complained the stout monster, ever focused on finding a good connection. Looking at the disgruntled audience, then gazing around, Jerry noticed a couple of things. "Where did the pipsqueak go ? And are you still fighting with them ? Wow, you're so slow without me around."

In addition of his inner narrator's, Lincoln stopped himself from delivering a few well-seasoned remarks of his own. The sound of teeth grinding and hands clasping against mouths hinted that his sisters were trying just as hard to keep a cool head. Including Lily of all people ! The only saving grace was the safety of Lori's right ribs due to Lynn's quick reaction in catching her flinging fist before it came in contact with her.

' _How can someone be so annoying by just opening their mouth ?!_ ' Lincoln vented inwardly.

* ** _Jerry can._**

Lincoln didn't even flinch at the venomous spite produced by the voice, for the tone wasn't too far off his own sizzling annoyance.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself ?" scolded Jerry, though still with an uncaring tone.

"Uhhh..." Chilldrake sweated streams. He had been busted by the clingiest of monsters ! Well, second clingiest, but at least **Temmies** were cute, soft to the touch, and about Mount Ebott's width away from the saucer-shaped monster's level of nerve grating.

He quickly thought of making a quick getaway. Nothing was tying him to this fight after all, he had no obligation to stay. But his conscience wouldn't let him go just yet. Because that would mean leaving his new friends behind, alone with _him_. He couldn't do that, he just couldn't !

A hand poked his wing, stirring him out of his conundrum. It seemed that Luna had something to say, and according to her serious gaze, it was important. "Dude, we'll take it from here." she whispered warmly, patting his shoulder. "Fly away, cool bird."

Chilldrake hadn't cried since Little Monster School, not a tear had made it past his shades. Yet today, he was finding himself tearing up for the second time, as he felt the respect he had for the humans bloom into a wide field of admiration. "You guys are the real deal. I'll preach the word for you all, swear it on my shades, yo."

"Cheers to that, good chap'." Luna's voice cracked a little, feeling the emotion getting to her. The two teens exchanged a rapid hug, three seconds of closure that materialised the making of a steel-sturdy bond.

And with a salute that the humans eagerly returned, Chilldrake took to the heights, and flew into the distance. The humans waved some more, coziness well setted in their hearts...

...before replacing it with distaste when they turned to look at their last hinch to the end of this fight.

Jerry gazed into the distance for an instant with actual surprise. Apparently, he hadn't expected his 'friend' to make a flight for it. People seemed to do that a lot with him, whether by air, sea, or land, and Jerry simply hadn't the faintest idea why. What could be _**so**_ important that they needed to be away from him as fast as possible ? Hopelessly confused, he turned to look at the humans, who almost squirmed when he did.

"Welp... _awkwarrrd_ ~" coughed Jerry, his eyes shifting around.

"You have no idea." sourly mumbled Lola, quiet enough not to reach his non-existant ears.

Silence fell again on the area, and perhaps the most uncomfortable the kids had endured in their entire lives. The pressure was somewhat maddening, making them want to yell at the top of their lungs, or just be able to escape like their avian friend had. They couldn't quite place the feeling, but it felt as if Jerry was somehow wrapping his grubby little hands around their floating hearts, and slowly squeezing the sanity out of them with his natural annoyance.

' _Maybe even licking it off._ ' Leni was unfortunate to have this thought echo through her mind, with the lovely picture that came with it, and almost heaved right on the spot. Only fond memories of her siblings and a Papyrus dancing the flamenco prevented her from finishing this action.

"So... is there something we can... do for you ?" Lori finally spoke, having worked many ways to escape, and choosing politeness over the appealing, but overall less-than-dignifying options.

"Well... can you give me a ride home ?" asked Jerry while looking at his phone.

"A ride home ? Do we look like we have any ride ?" Lynn grumbled quietly.

Luan stiffled a rowdy bout of laughter. "Well, you can be a good sport _coach_ , even though you're not very _car_ -ful."

For a moment, Lynn wondered if banging her head a few thousand times on the far right button would allow her that sweet MERCY imprinted on it.

Lori swallowed uneasily. She knew she was going to regret offering this idea. _A lot_. And she knew they wouldn't be happy. _At all._ But... as annoying as this monster, he was still just that. A monster. And putting aside the weedy exception that confirmed the rule, no matter how weird and off-putting they could be, monsters were actually great people inside. Surely this was only a tougher nut to crack.

 _She really hoped so, anyway..._

And with that, she hit the latest ACT option, _Ride._

"Well, _Jerry_ , we are kinda travelling on foot right now. _But_... if you are going in the same direction, would you want to..." Lori's voice became hoarse and weak, as if her throat was strangling itself to kill the next words coming up from it. "... _walk with us ?_ "

" _ **WHAT ?!**_ " her younger siblings exploded, sending them into pandemonium. Lori cringed. Yep, they were taking this as well as she expected them to.

As the ten kids voiced their discontentment loud and clear, Jerry seemed to consider this. By picking his nose. Not even Lana could approve of the sight.

"Hmm... alright." he finally said.

Lori gave a sigh of slight relief. She could feel the frowns and glares bore into her skull like scalding lasers, and she knew that she would have to make one heck of a case for even a pillow to be thrown at her tonight, but at least Jerry was being cooperative. Who knows ? Maybe he'd come out as someone half-decent by the time they-

"But can one of you carry me ? My feet are cold."

* _KRLING !_ *

 _That, ladies and gentlemen, was Lori's sangfroid throwing itself out the window._

"Aw, cold feet, are you ? Then maybe you should PUT ON SOME DANG SHOES !" thundered the young woman, finding her siblings cheering for her anger. Lily even mirrored it with a sour raspberry. "' _Carry me_ ' ? That is _litteraly_ the first thing that comes to your mind when something offers you something nice ?! Urgh, it's no wonder even _GHOSTS_ have it bad against you !"

* _"Hail to that !"_

Jerry, of course, didn't see what the big fuss was about. "Geez, sensitive much ? I'm just asking, no need to nag."

"I shall prepare the funeral arrangements." quipped Lucy, as she watched Lori's face turn crimson with rage. But seconds before she could explose, Jerry thought smart to drop one last comment.

"Besides, I can't weigh more than that **icky lump** you've already got in your arms."

* * *

Nothing quite made Toriel's lonely evenings than sitting in her amrchair, and read a good book. She had received a couple new ones, and couldn't wait to devour them before going through that lovely photo album the kids had left for her.

Toriel was really glad that she had waited to pick the album, because for a reason completely foreign to her, the book in her hands had suddenly erupted in flames, and reduced into ashes in a matter of seconds.

She did not understand, nor could she explain why it had happened, but for a single moment, she had felt unnaturally... _**violent.**_

* * *

The little blonde gasped. Icky ? She knew what icky was. Icky was for mud, or scary beasts, or that giant radioactive mouse Lisa had created that one time. Icky meant dirty, gross... _**ugly.**_ Lily felt her eyes moister. S-She wasn't ugly. Her parents always said she was the most b-beautiful baby on Earth. Her siblings always told her how c-cute she was. Even Lola d-dared to put d-down her title of ' _Cutest Loud House Kid_ ' just for her. A-A-And Goat Mom h-h-had told she was a-a-a lovely bundle of j-j-joy.

She wasn't ugly. She wasn't... she was...

Lily let out a few tearful whimpers, trying to contain the sadness begging to explode outside. She pitifully hid her watering eyes, and sniffled.

 _Maybe he was right. Maybe she was ugly._

…

There were a few golden principles in the Loud House. Rules of Thumb that were transmitted through sibling to sibling almost instantly, without even needing to mention them.

And one such rule was the attitude to adopt towards **Bullies.**

To mess up with one Loud, was to mess with all Louds, nothing too different from most families. Some cases were different, however. Lincoln was of course a little special, with the girls quick to assume the worst about boy to boy bullying, and immediately jumping into action to make sure it never happened again. Since Ronnie-Anne, they had been a little more comprehensive to their brother's wish to handle things himself, and, even though he was a big dork with weirdly white hair, making him an easy target, almost nobody had messed with him afterwards.

Of course, the fact he now had the toughest girl of the School as a girlfriend probably helped a whole lot.

But Lincoln was no stranger to partaking into Bully operations if they were targeting his sisters, but cases were different according the sister being bullied, and the degree of bullying. Lynn getting tripped ? She's got this, you'd wound her pride more than anything else trying to help.

Luna looking somber and moodier than usual ? You had to give it a little time, she was more than able to resolve this on her own. She knew how to swing her axe as well as she knew how to pull its strings expertly.

Lucy coming home in tears with her book of poems in tatters, and ' _FREAK_ ' written on her back ? **GLOVES. WERE. OFF.**

Relations, craftiness, how strong could the targeted sibling's punch in return be, all of these statistics could drastically change the level of anger and the repercussions the other siblings would enact on the bully. One particular variable of this system certainly came to age. Just because Lana was capable of wrestling alligators didn't mean that the fuse wouldn't be considerably shorter in learning that someone was bullying them than if it was, say, Luan.

So, what did you get if you, already not being in their good graces, insulted the youngest member of the Loud Clan, who was still a defenseless baby, and called her names that reduced her to tears ? Well, nobody had ever crossed that kind of line before. This was about to be a discovery for everyone, yourself included.

 _ **But boy, could you be happy to have a wall between you and them. A luxury a certain monster didn't have.**_

A sudden chill ran down Jerry's spine (?), tearing his attention away from his phone. "Gee, I knew it would get cold today, but not that cold. Urgh, worst day ever." he grumbled. "So, are you guys carrying me or-"

* **"Jerry ?"**

The chilling feeling came back with a revenge, and a harsh one at that. Jerry recognised the voice, somewhat, to be the white-haired guy's. But there was something seriously wrong with it. Or rather, something important was missing. Not only did it do the weird echo thing of before, but any semblance of emotion had been eradicated, save for a concealed trace boiling at its back. And this very trace was sending bad messages all through Jerry's tough skull.

Jerry then suddenly came to another realisation. "Uh... did it get dark around here ?"

Finally aiming his gaze at the humans, everything became clear to Jerry. **_Frighteningly clear indeed._**

There stood Lily's ten older siblings, shrouded in menacing shadows, with their sniveling baby sister at the center of their coagulated form, like a precious Golden Egg safely tucked between the claws of a many-headed hydra. A very ticked-off one at that.

Only their silouhettes could be defined, to the exception of the lenses of Lisa's glasses and their ghastly reflection of what shone behind it. Even the kids' glimmering SOULs weren't sheding any light on their owners, and their total lack of movement, including the usual little bobbing up and down, wasn't making the Louds' new appearance any less eerie.

They weren't even giving any beat ! This role was being taken by the shrouded figures themselves, pulsating with malevolent energy. Whether this was an hallucination due to an overdose of triangulated crisps, or the true sight of a demon crossing the line between the true Underworld and the Underground, none could tell, and none could deny how terrifying it appeared with either answer.

But the penumbra itself held less than half of the fear factor. That lion's share award solely went to the ten smoldering pairs of eyes imprinted in it. Each orb pierced through their icon of contempt so heatedly, it was a miracle that the ground behind him hadn't melted, and that a hole hadn't appeared right between his peepers ! Each pair of eyes held the colour of the still SOUL attached to them, every colour holding a different style of anger, but all harbouring the same will for revenge, from Lori's body bending to Lisa's electrode-helmet testing Even behind Lucy's curtain of black bangs, peeked a stabbing shard of yellow, promising suffering at least as good as the countless poems and novels they had read through.

Jerry was beyond terrified by what he was looking at, but dared not looking away. For as thick-headed and obnoxious as he was, he knew that any wrong move could most likely be his last. And with every tearful hiccup the little tot in their arms was giving, their gazes only got harder and prone to extreme violence, with _extremer_ prejudice.

But were they without mercy ? No, for it was not the way they swore to live by through their journey. As such, a single arm appeared from the dark form, and pushed the ACT Button. Whose arm was it was anyone's guess. And nobody wanted to.

The panel opened, Jerry's name was punched in, and a single finger grazed the _Last Chance_ option.

* ** _"I think you should leave._ NOW. _"_**

The wide-eyed monster made a simple 'OK' gesture, took a couple of tense steps backwards; and dashed away like a pack of rabid Temmies on his tail. As he ran for his life, Jerry knew that he had just learned some valuable lessons :

- _Don't ask physical favours from people you don't know._

- _Attacking the weakest of the pack isn't always the smartest solution._

- _Make their youngest cry, and humans will_ ** _USE YOU AS SHOE POLISH !_**

Such are the life lessons that Jerry Jeremiah Jerry would count to the future monster generations. And like always, nobody would listen. Why ?

 _Because Jerry, that's why._

* _Surprisingly, Jerry has taken a hint, and has fled the battle._

* _YOU WON ! You've gained 0 EXP and 25 Gold._

 **Fight Over.**

"And good riddance." grumbled Lincoln, feeling the rush of anger inside him settling down. Curiously enough, he could feel the same happening to his sisters as well, with the shadows around them disappearing. Lincoln felt like he should question this strange event, but tossed the thought aside in favour of giving some much needed comfort to the sobbing infant in Lori's arms. "Hey Lily, it's okay. The meanie's gone now." he said soothingly.

"Yeah, don't listen to a word that guy said. He wouldn't know beauty if it slapped him across the face !" Lola backed up, doing her best to push away any bitterness from her tone.

"I would have liked to do some other things to his face. Perhaps a removal of his glottis would have better his character." mumbled Lisa, the most upset over the last part of this unpleasant encounter.

"Woah, pretty graphic there, Lisa. I was thinking more knocking some of his teeth out. You know, to keep as a trophy." snickered Lynn maliciously, before breaking into a sweat due to Lori's heated glare. "U-Uh, I mean, Fighting is never an option. Protect the whales and all that, hehehe..."

"Careful Lynn, you're swimming in _hot waters_ , and it could end in a _whale_!" chortled Luan, this time fast enough to bend her spine backwards to dodge Lana's snowball shoot.

"Your smile can make my day, where tales of tears would fail, little sister." recited Lucy, allowing a little warmth to slip in her tone.

"And I love you laughing more, than I love rolling myself... sore ?" said Lana, trying to mimic her big sis. Lucy waved her hand in a ' _You'll get there someday_ ' fashion.

" _Anyway_ ," Lori began sternly, before dropping to a more caring tone, "everyone's right, Lily. Remember that little conversation we had earlier today ? Bullies are never right, and you shouldn't let it get to you. Especially when you _ARE_ the cutest baby on the planet."

"Yeah, aren't ya lovely ? Aren't ya wonderful ?" sang Luna.

"Of course she is ! Why is it even a question ?" naively asked Leni, earning herself an amused smirk from her rocker of a little sis.

Lily let her tearful eyes appear through cracks between her fingers, witnessing the genuine smiles on her family's face. This gave her the courage to remove her hands to take a better look, and saw that those smiles hadn't disappeared. And just like that, the teachings of her smart big sis ringing right in her mind, she understood.

How could she have doubted herself ? Lola was right. What did that meanie Jerry know ? If her siblings said she was a pretty baby, then it had to be true ! It just had to, it was only World's logic. Like how too much stacked cubes always fell down, or how mashed carrots were the best meal ever, or how nice Goat Ladies' heads made for the best nap spot.

Yeah, that sounded about right ! So what did she have to be upset about ? Nothing, that was why ! She passed a sleeve across her dampened face, and adressed her siblings with a simple, but powerful speech.

"Garry, poo-poo !" she bellowed, rising her fist in the air.

"She said ' _Jerry is a..._ ', well, you know what she means." chuckled Luan.

"Yeah we know ! Well said, sis !" praised Lana, making Lily coo with joy. This of course prompted a celebratory Loud group hug, with one happy baby at the center. Hapiness and hugs, wasn't this the truth of this world ?

 _A few people would have liked to disagree with that notion. But they either weren't there, or were wise enough to hold their tongues._

As the hug disbanded, Lori took the reigns once again. "Alright, that's another fight down. Now, let's finally make some progress." she said, as she collected the coins left by both Ice Cap and Chilldrake. Jerry hadn't left any Gold, but it was nothing she didn't expect.

"Yeah, they're fun and all, but two fights in a row is just about enough, even for me." admitted Lynn, cracking her knuckles as she and her siblings resumed their walking. Once the retracted spikes crossed, the sportaholic dared to relax. "Yep, let's just be on our-"

" _Not so fast._ "

"Oh, come on !" flared Leni, the exasperation of being Papyrus-less for almost two hours finally getting to her, especially since they were this close to go down the path leading to the next area. "Why is it so hard to just get out of here ?! We're running out of page here !"

"Out of page ?" parroted Lisa, raising a tentative eyebrow.

But Leni, too upset to hear her, kept going. "Whatever is blocking us this time, it better be big and important ! You hear me ? _Big and Important !_ "

 _And what universe wouldn't accordingly answer such a polite and calm question ?_

A twin set of footsteps was heard approaching by, intermingling in perfect synch. It was as if the two hooded figures knew eachother well enough to be in such union in the simple act of their feet hitting the ground. Or, as the kids noticed, their _paws_ hitting the ground.

Lana was understandably overjoyed at the prospect of meeting more members of the Canine Unit, distinguished here by their white furry feet, furry hands, and their two muzzles peeking from the front of their hoods, one sporting some sort of facial hair, while the other didn't.

What made her feel less thrilled however, were the hooded robes they were both wearing, giving them the look of undertakers, which was nicely emulated by the two long battleaxes they were carrying, thwacking their handles against the ground as they stopped before the Louds.

The heavy silence that followed was quickly broken by Luan throwing in her two _pun_ nies. "Well Leni, I'd say those two are _cut_ for the job, hahaha ! Get it ?"

She didn't flinch when Luna whacked her back with her beanie. Jokes during threatening situations weren't exactly the rocker's way to swing.

Meanwhile, the two dogs started sniffing the air. They had been on their way back to their stations, stopping every minute or so for some snout nuzzling. They had spotted Papyrus on their way, rearranging puzzles for a "SPECIAL OCCASION", he'd said. They had half-a-mind to ask if it concerned the humans, but ultimately let him do his thing. They had also caught the whiff of a most unpleasant smell, but it had dashed out of here before they could properly indentify it. And all things considered, they really didn't want to.

But now, there was something else. A whole lot of something else. And it was tickling the canines' minds just as much as it was tickling their noses.

"What's that smell ?" spoke the first one in a deep masculine voice.

" _Where's that smell ?_ " added the second one with a soft feminine voice.

"Are they not seeing us ?" whispered Luna. "Is it that thing that Doggo dude had again ?"

"Hard to say. They may simply have a better understanding of their surroundings through their sense of smell. Not an uncommon feature amongst dogs." Lisa murmured back.

"There's a smell here, no doubt."

" _So many smells. But who are they ?_ "

"If you are smells..."

" _Indentify yoursmelves !_ "

"That's not a word." Lucy boldly corrected. As a reward, she received Lynn's gloved hand against her mouth, shutting her up. She sighed internally. Censored once again. The young poet was definitely unappreciated in her time.

In a flurry of movements, the dog couple was at work, scrutinizing the small area with their trusted noses. The kids had to move once or twice, by fear of being grazed by the dangerously blunt weapons. Ten seconds later, the duo stopped on both sides of the Loud gang, inhaling the air right next to them.

"The smell... it's right there." gruffed the first one, almost whispering it in a stiff Leni's ear. Thankfully, the need to sneeze didn't rise this time.

" _So many different smells.. Sweet, sweaty, lab-y, paper..._ " pondered the second one, apparently oblivious to Lily's hands joyously patting her muzzle.

"Aww, why does she have to be first ?" whined Lana.

"Will you put a sock in it already ?!" Lola hissed tersely. And she was supposed to be the _petty_ one !

"But there's another smell... A **weird** smell."

" _A_ ** _really_** ** _weird_ **_smell..._ "

"I don't like that growling tone they're takin', dudes." gulped Luna.

Lincoln's body suddenly jolted stiff, as a memory came at his mind's door, with not the greatest news. "Guys, remember what **GREEN smell** is on the sniffing chart ?" he inquired, breaking into a sweat.

Lisa immediately took out her notepad, and skimmed through the pages, with her sisters looking over her shoulder. It did not take long before she reached the fate page, and nine pairs of eyes – Lucy is still an unknown case – widened with fear.

"OH CRUD." they echoed.

"That smell makes me want to... **eliminate**..."

" _...Eliminate YOU !_ "

Thankfully, the two dogs did not attack at point blank, but they did take the kids by surprise with how fast they placed themselves in front of the exit, effectively blocking the path. They then removed their hoods to reveal two white-furred dog heads with long round snouts, floppy ears, and big round eyes. The guy-gal difference was visible through the bushy eyebrows, little mustache, and cowlick the male had, and the distinct eyelashes the female had.

Paws interlocked, and axes were crossed in an X fashion, their blades reflecting the glint passing through the guards' eyes. The rainbow of SOULs popped out of the humans' chests.

* _"Dogi block the path !"_

 **Fight engaged !**

"Looks like we found our humans." said boy Dogi, his whole attention on the nervous kids before him. "Doggo wasn't lying, there's a whole bunch of them ! Though, I can only smell eleven. Did one of them get lost ?"

"Uh, yeah, that's right ! I think he went that way ! You should totally go get him first !" Lynn pointed over the way they had already crossed.

The claim had Leni's brain in a twist. "What are you talking about ? Lincoln's right there. We're all here, even Lucy !" The little goth didn't outright say it, but she felt quite happy to be noticed.

Lynn, on the other hand, was giving her ditzy sister a fierce glare. "It was supposed to be a distraction, Leni. They run this way, we run that way, and we avoid this stupid fight altogether !" she seethed through clenched teeth.

"Actually, we can't escape on the first turn." cut in Lincoln. He shrunk away when he met Lynn's glowering deadpan expression. "Not the point, gotcha."

" _Hmm... I smell Lesser Dog's excitement still lingering about. She was here recently._ " deduced the girl Dogi. " _In fact, it's all over the weird smells as well._ "

"We have names, you know." huffed Lola, not taking her new nickname too kindly. Heck, if they were going to refer to them as smells, the least they could do was changing it to 'original'.

"Looks like she got distracted again, and let herself be pet. She just can't help herself." he said, shaking his head.

" _But wasn't she simply precious when she got her first sword ? Even the Captain had trouble keeping her on the ground._ " reminisced the girl Dogi with a warm smile.

"She certainly was." he chuckled. He then took an enamoured expression, and his voice followed. "But then again, I see more precious every day of my life."

She couldn't contain a light gasp, followed by a giggle. "Oh, honey bunny !"

"Oh, sugarlumps !" And they were back being deep in affection, forgetting all about their targets to focus on their nose nuzzle practice. Not that the targets themselves minded, basking in the sight with tender expressions.

"Aww, they're in love." swooned Lana, her orange SOUL suddenly feeling a lot fuzzier. She wasn't much for cute things, but she could certainly appreciate the one that came from animals, and especially animals in love.

"Guess those Dog marriage and Twin booth mysteries are solved now." said Lynn with a little smile.

"I expected nothing out of it, and I'm glad I was wrong." nodded Lincoln.

"Case closed, pack up the hot cocoa, 'cause I'm feelin' warm in the SOUL right now." quipped Luna, not even sure herself why she was beaming so much.

The grinning virus spreaded with much efficacity across the humans, save of course for a few of them. But while Lisa and Lucy were expected cases, as it would take an exciting scientific discovery or a cute ghost to get a big smile out of them, Lori certainly was not. Furthermore, both stone-faced children were at least harbouring a little smile, but the sistriarch herself looked as if someone was showing her their pet rat.

Such a frown couldn't go unnoticed too long however, when Luan Loud was nearby. ' _My clowney senses are tingling._ ' monologued the comedienne, feeling the tip of her ponytail quiver on its own, prompting a sneeze out of the fashionista standing behind her. "Hey, why the long face ? Love is in the air, so show me those _canines_ !"

Lori didn't even have the time to groan, that she saw all her siblings whip around, observing her like a martian, and she knew why. Not being enraptured in enamoured awe over this adorable scene of puppy love – Oooh, puppy love, dog marriage, she got it now – to which even the Duchess of Darkness was giving out a smile ? _Was the weirdness of the Underground more potent than they had thought until then ?_

Annoyed by the stares she was receiving, and Lily working her cheeks to try and find that smile that should be there, Lori finally gave that groan, and with a heavy tip. "Look you guys, it's not that it's not cute. It's just that... ugh, we've met them for about thirty seconds, and they're already smooching eachother."

"Uh, they're rubbing noses." remarked Lola.

"Eskimo kiss, same thing !" swiftly deflected Lori, getting a little bit uncomfortable. "My point is, all it took was some random thought for them to get into eachother's arms. And if my gut serves me right, they're gonna pull up the same schtick through the whole fight, and it just rubs me the wrong way. I mean, hello ! How can you carry on doing anything being constantly busy with saying how much you love someone ? Why make life so difficult for yourself ? And why do it in public, where it's clear you'll annoy all those people who litteraly don't want to hear you going on and on about..." Lori trailed off, and her tone became suspicious. "Is there a reason for all those smiles, or are they really that cute ?"

"Not if you don't count the pride over the sudden epiphany you just had." said Lisa, her smug grin reflected on the others' expressions.

All Lori mustered in return was a plain "What ?".

"Never before have I wished I had my camera on me. It was perfect, I don't even need to add anything." said Luan.

"Lucy, please tell me you're writing this down ?" snickered Lincoln.

"This conversation will follow through the afterlife, Lincoln. I can guarantee it." answered Lucy, scribbling down her poem book.

"It's a fine job you're doing, partner." praised Sher-Lincs, patting her shoulder.

"Glad to help. But not too much." nodded Dr. WatSpooks.

"Am I missing something here ?! What's so funny ?!" simmered Lori, her angry expression widely subverted by two pudgy mittens lifting the edges of her mouth.

"Really, sis ? Two lovebirds billing and cooing non-stop, looking and saying things so sweet that it's sickening, and nicknaming eachother in public. Ring any bells ?" smirked Luna, wriggling her eyebrows in perfect rhythm.

"Should I ?" said Lori, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Yeah, because that's pretty much how you and Bobby work." quipped Lynn. Her strike was successful, as Lori's expression changed from confused to positively irked.

"Excuse me ? We do not act anything like them !" admonished Lori. Badmouthing her relationship with Bobby was one of her berserk buttons, but thankfully, at the moment, her siblings were only waving their hands over it. "I mean, look at them ! They're not even paying attention at us right now ! They're litteraly blocking us out, in a fight they started ! I mean, rude much ?!"

Leni shook her head. "That's totes the cat calling the dog black !"

"It's 'the _pot_ calling the _kettle_ black', Leni." corrected Lisa.

"Oh. I thought it was weird. Even though, it pretty much works with Cliff and Charles, doesn't it ?"

"Look Lori, the only difference between you and them is that they're doing an eskimo kiss, while you and Bobby go a little more, 'European'." air-quoted Lola.

"Yeah, one time you two sat next to me while I was watching a documentary with Hops about his cousins in Australia, and started kissing. Really loudly too."recollected Lana, recluant to play the scene before her eyes again. "Fifteen minutes later, you two were still at it. I don't think I even heard you stopping to breathe !"

While she remembered that event quite well and had nothing to rebuke it, Lori, after summoning her inner Toriel all afternoon, decided to be stubborn, and paid no heed to their claims, turning her nose to the ceiling and stomping her boot. "I still think that's hogwash."

"Lori, look at them really closely, and tell us you don't see anything that rings a bell." said Lana.

Lori rolled her eyes at the order, but followed it anyway, just for the satisfaction of proving them wrong. Ugh, there they were, still nose nuzzling. If they were so good at it, they should just enter a competition, might get a trophy out of it !

(* _Rimshot_ *)

Yeah, Lori couldn't take away that they were looking pretty adorable. But still, what part of this was supposed to mirror her relationship with Bobby ? Bobby was litteraly the most loving boyfriend there was, so she had a reason to be smitten with him all the time ! He was charming, especially with that little goatee...

The female monster let out a giggle as her companion's mustache tickled her snout.

...he handed her the perfect gifts to say how much he loved her...

The axes, which the kids now noticed had the eyes and eyebrows of their owners drawn on it, parted for a moment to reveal what the dog couple had imprinted on the chest area of their robes : eachother's faces, with hearts around them.

...and he always gave her the sweetest names...

"I love you, pups."

"I love you too, Gamy-goo-goo-griz."

...Oh. _Ooooh._

"Well~ ?" sing-sang Lynn, cupping her ear to perhaps catch the rare sound of a Mobilus Addictus admiting that she was wrong. And that was just what she got, as Lori's stance deflated in defeat.

"Alright, maybe they do look a little like me and Bobby." conceded Lori at last, trying to keep a cool head. Ooh, she just wished she could wipe those stupid smug grins off their faces, but dipping back into Body-bending-into-European-baked-good-Threat Mode would only sow chaos into the group. Brawn simply would not do.

…' _But some brain work could_.' Lori smiled mischeviously.

"You know what, you're right. I think I'm starting to like them. After all, it's only natural for them to express their love like that." nodded the sistriarch as sweetly as she could.

"Glad you finally see our way, sis. Sorry if we were too _ruff_ with you." grinned Luan, amicably patting her sister's back, whose smile got only toothier.

"Oh, that was nothing. In fact, I'm delighted that you all like this enough to have shown me the errors of my way. It's important to appreciate love, it really is."

"Wow, you're taking this really well." remarked Lincoln, feeling proud for how far his sister had come. Sgt. Lori normally would have had them sentenced to two hours of footstool time for her toenail polish, but here she was, taking it with a good heart, and nothing else.

"Absolutely, absolutely. Because now, I'm aware that I can show and talk about my love with Bobby as much as I can."

Lori's younger siblings were struck cold by this revelation, and more than a few started breaking into a sweat. "B-But isn't that how you normally act ?" fearfully asked Lola.

"Oh sure, but I was always holding back some details, giving more of a recap, so I wouldn't bore you with my little tales. But now, I'll be able to go on full detail about the passionate afternoons I spend with my Boo-boo Bear." she squealed in mock joy, relishing just a little bit in the terror she saw crossing their eyes. She put a hand over her roommate's shoulder. "Won't that be great ? Every pet name, every cheek caress, every languid kiss, related to you in the baudiest details."

"But I barely said anything..." whimpered Leni, not knowing if she could handle such a punishment. She wasn't sure what boats had to do with Lori's relationship, but she knew that she liked snipets of her tales, she really did, not an entire screenplay.

"Oh don't worry, Leni. I won't make you my sole confidant, because after all, in a family as big as ours" – that sent a little chill down Lincoln's spine – "there's always an extra pair of ears ready to hear you out." she waved her grin at her disgruntled siblings, who had caught on her little schtick. Sneaky Lori was not as scary as Wedgie Lori, but she dealt far worse punishments. Only Lily didn't see the big deal, as she would most likely forget all of it by naptime. With a satisfied smirk, Lori concluded, "Isn't love beautiful when we're all on the same page ?"

"Makes me feel all warm on the inside." Luan grumbled dryly. "Lincoln, could you show a little _heart_ , and do your thing ?"

Lincoln, keen on stirring the subject away from the fact Lori had just gotten them good, pushed the ACT button, and saw the two guards' names, _Dogamy_ and _Dogaressa_. He went for a _Check_ towards Dogaressa, wanting to go for the feminine touch, but the result differed a little from what he expected.

* _"Dogamy and Dogaressa. ATK 14, DEF 5. Strong axe swing, and stronger marriage. They smell first, and ask the questions later."_

"They did have that weird smell code system." mumbled Lynn absent-mindedly. She then gasped. "Wait, maybe that's-"

But before she could finish her claim, the sound of blades caught the kids' attention. It seemed that the nose nuzzle session had come to a halt, and the two guards were now back on their main task : Capturing humans.

"Alright honey, let's kick some human tails !" exclaimed Dogamy, his tail wagging with excitement.

" _Yes, of- wait, do humans even have tails ?_ " pondered Dogaressa.

Dogamy blinked, then seemed enamoured by the question alone. "You ask the true questions, sugarlumps. But for now, let's make the Captain proud !"

" _Right !_ "

A sense of déjà-vu hit the kids as they saw the two axes glow with white and cyan energy. Any moment now, they expected the blades to grow to freakishly huge sizes, and slice the air with their SOULs on the front line. However, the canine guards decided to pull up another familiar attack, with the apparition of a little furry quadrupede on their left. And the surprise only grew, when its twin brother appeared on their right.

"Oh my gosh, they're multiplying !" Leni cried in horror.

"No pie is safe anymore, dude ! No dessert survives tonight !" howled Luna to the ceiling.

The little dog on their left began yipping, sending a litteral ring of eight hearts to the other, who waited for them with a blush. Four hearts were white, while the other four were light blue. Adding to that the fact that they kept coming and spun while advancing, and the dodging strategy had taken another turn. The kids had to choose between rushing through the gaps between the spinning hearts, or freeze like a statue to let a blue heart pass through them.

"Hold on, is that little dog sending love to himself ?" remarked Lola in the middle of a dodge. "How conceited can you get ? And that's coming from me !"

Leni yelped as she felt love litteraly hurting her, taking three _HP_ away from her, and Luna moved just a bit too early to let one of the hearts pass through her, leaving her with a not-so-nice buzzing sensation rippling across her body. The assault ended, and the two little dogs disappeared, while the bigger ones caught eachother's eye again.

" _A fantastic team attack, schmoockins._ " cajoled Dogaressa.

"And you made it all the more special, honey bunny." returned Dogamy. Thus, the nose nuzzling resumed, with more emotion than ever.

"Sigh. Even I have to admit they're still adorable. You know, if you forget they're trying to kill us." quipped Lucy gloomily.

"Okay, how are we going to tackle this one ?" said Lori, beginning another Loud circle. "These guys haven't used their axes yet, and it'd be best if they never do, if you know what I mean." Lana's hand shot up, wildly shaking around. "Yes, Lana ?"

"Let's pet 'em !" chirped Lana, straight to the point.

"How original." snided Lisa. A snowball immediately splatted against her face.

"Listen Lana, maybe first we should-"

But the little grease monkey swiftly interrupted her brother, "Oh come on, not this again ! Guys, every time we confronted a dog, the solution was to pet them. It's like basic science at this point !"

"Two occurences do not make for a conclusive experiment, and it certainly doesn't mean that it should be carved in the great marble walls of Science." spoke Lisa indignantly. Another snowball splattered against her face.

"We see what you mean, sis." said Luna, trying to appease her little sis. "But think about it : Doggo was half-blind, and petting was all Lesser could think about. Here, these two are on high alert, with their noses going wild with ' _Hack-all-humans-into-ham-slices_ ' vibes.

" _And_ , let's not forget that we had to at least distract Doggo before we could approach him." pressed Lori. "Bottom line, you can't get near these guys until we've found something to distract them with."

"Oh yeah ?" rebuked Lana, deaf to the bothersome advice. It wasn't getting her closer to any petting, so what did she care about subtlety ? She pressed the ACT button, selected Dogaressa, and chose the eternal _Pet_ option. "Well, watch and learn." she said in a haughty tone that rivaled her twin sister's, before turning around to walk up to the canine couple.

"Shouldn't we stop her ?" quipped Lucy.

Lincoln shook his head. "Once the option's chosen, there is nothing stopping it. It has to be carried on, even though this seems like one bad plan."

"Sigh. We don't control the tools. The tools control us."

"Well, nothing bad can happen, right ?"

Lynn felt her whole body get stiff, and directed a condescending glare at her brother. "Oh, you did not just say those words."

Close to the kissing duo, Lana extended her hand to stroke Dogaressa's fur. "Don't pay attention to me, I'll just be a sec-"

* _WHACK !_ *

The siblings gasped in horror when they saw the empty sleeve that Lana hastily retracted, herself plagued with terror as well. Then they shared a sigh of relief when the dark blue mitten reappeared, unharmed.

"Wow, that one _cut close_ , huh ?" Luan chuckled awkwardly. Deadpan glares were shot in her direction, except for Lucy, who raised an appreciative thumbs up.

"Hands off my hot-dog !" Dogamy howled fiercely, lifting his axe back up.

" _He means me._ " Dogaressa sighed enamouredly, before crossing her axe with her hubby once again. The two shared a little kiss, before squinting their eyes menacingly at the retreating tomboy.

* _"Pets are not allowed just yet !"_

"Hehehe, too early for play time ?" Lana smiled sheepishly at the two glaring parties, monsters and siblings. She kept stepping back until she her back hit her oldest sister's ankles. Looking up, Lana saw her looking back with an expectant raised eyebrow, which made the little blonde shrink away like a berated puppy. "Sorry, sis." is all she could offer.

And it was all the young woman was asking for. She kneeled to her level, her features softened, and patted her shoulder. "It's okay. I'm just glad you didn't lose an arm over this. Just don't be so reckless next time, okay ? We've already got Lynn as the daredevil of the group."

"Hey ! I take offense in that !" exclaimed the brunette.

"Do you really ?"

"...Maybe." pouted Lynn.

Lori rolled her eyes, bemused, then gave Lily to Lana as comfort. The tot immediately pressed her cheek against her big sister's, effectively lifting her spirits.

But the relief was short-lived as the guards' axes glowed once again, and this time, they acted as the kids had imagined. The two gleaming blades expanded tenfold in size, with their wielders still being able to easily support their weight. Their large shadow fell onto the Louds, and the axes followed soon after.

"TIMBER !" cried Lincoln, as the group split to dodge the oncoming assault. The limited space the little area provided didn't give an easier time to the children, and neither did the quaking provoked by the first thwack of the axes colliding with the ground. When they swung a second time, the canine couple almost got Lola under their blades, but she was thankfully saved by Luan's tackle. ' _By a hair_ ', the jokester chuckled inwardly.

The sentries brought their weapons down one last time, hitting the hardest and nearly getting Leni's leg, almost depriving the teen of a beautiful ballet career. Not that it'd ever happen, but still. In the end though, no _HP_ was taken away from the kids' SOULs, but it gave them a great fright. These Royal Guard members were nothing to laugh at...

 _And the worst thing was, they apparently had a **Captain.**_

"Hey, look !" said Lincoln, pointing at the two axe blades. The junctures between hilts and blades were crossed in an archway, shaped like a heart. Lincoln could feel his eyes tear up, and his manliness ebb away. "That-That's just precious."

"Love's all around us, bro." said Luna, shaking a passionate fist.

"Aww, it's just like when Bobby-boo-boo-bear made that heart in a hedge. It was litteraly the loveliest thing ever." sighed Lori dreamingly, remembering in great detail the little ' _L+B_ ' he had managed to cut in the greenery. Ah, such an artist, her Bobby. But all artists had critics, Lori's smile fell. "Too bad Mrs. Yvonne didn't think so, and went after him through half of town. Old ladies love their hedges, apparently."

Meanwhile, the two magic blades shrunk back to their original sizes, and the loving duo was reunited once again, already looking deeply into eachother's eyes, and speaking words of love without even their lips moving.

"I don't think they even noticed that they didn't get any of us." said Leni.

"Not a thing we should be complaining about, if you ask me." quipped Lynn, still feeling a little shaken on the inside. Her arms and legs were her pride, and though she knew she wouldn't have lost them, this was still a heart-pumping experience, and not the kind she appreciated. "So, what do we do now ?"

"Their main strength is known, their olfactive senses." professed Lisa, scratching the top of her beret. "The main mystery to solve now, is how we can use it against them ?"

"Poo-poo !" proposed Lily good-naturedly.

"I like the way you think, sis." perked up Lana.

Lisa sighed and shook her head. "A good thought, younger sibling. Except there isn't any changing table anywhere near, and I doubt your intestines hold enough digested matter to produce an effective gas projectile. Plus, they have a good hold over their blunt weaponry, and I don't think we need to add primal rage to their need to complete a job."

Lily blinked twice, her head rattling with all those big words. She came through with one conclusion. "...No poo-poo ?"

"No poo-poo, I'm afraid." concluded Lisa, before returning to the discussing of a strategy.

Lily's mood visibly dampened, something that didn't bode well with her messy big sister. "Aw, cheer up, sis, it was still a great idea." comforted Lana, booping her baby sister's nose. Lily giggled, but the nose pressing rose up a sneeze from her. "Whoops, don't be getting a cold now. With all that snow, you could..." Lana's mind gears sparked to life, and an imaginary lightbulb brightened up. "Holy cannoli, that's it ! Lily, you're a genius !" she cried out in joy, hugging the glowing baby. Yay, she was as smart as Lisa now !

"And why not ? It's a great tune, they'll love it !" argued Luna, once again choosing the rock'n'roll Highway as a solution.

"Just because it has 'dogs' in the title, doesn't mean they'll automatically be all over it. Not to mention it has litteraly nothing to do with their sense of smell !" countered Lori.

"It's music, dude. You don't hear or smell it, you feel it." Luna thumped her chest.

"Uh-huh. And you're going to play it through an harmonica ?" deadpanned Lucy. "That's a tough feat to pull off, even from you."

Luna gasped, hand on her heart. "Dudette, your lack of trust wounds me, it wounds harsh."

"Guys, guys ! I've got an idea !" Lana bounced into the conversation. She was met with half-skeptic looks, but didn't allow them to deter her from continuing. "It's not petting this time, I swear ! Look, those dogs are after us because they smell our 'human scent'. Remember, they had to sniff the whole area to find us. That means they trust their noses more than they trust their eyes !"

"That's good thinking, but it also gets us to the same point. Is there an idea behind the reasonning, or are you just chasing your own tail ? Eh ? Get it ?" cracked Luan.

Lana rolled her eyes skyward, then wasted no time spilling the beans. "This place has puzzles everywhere, remember ? Just like in Lincoln's games. Near the stations of those two," she pointed to the Dogi, still lovingly pressing snouts, "we found their code system. And there was only one smell that was ' _unsuspicious_ '. The Puppy Smell."

"Do they make Puppy-scent perfumes ?" Leni wondered out loud. That sounded like a good pitch.

"What ? That's the most ridiculous-" began Lola, before taking a pause to reflect her claim. "Oh wait, I think they actually sell that stuff."

"Regardless, how do we make ourselves smell like a puppy ?" asked Lincoln, trying to see where her sister was going with this.

A big grin blossomed on Lana's face. "By doing what all puppies do : _Roll around_ like no tomorrow !" she exclaimed, pushing that very option on the ACT panel she had just opened. She put Lily down, then immediately dropped on the floor, and rolled around in the snow like a wheel on a freeway, loving every second of it. She gave her back a little stretch as she brought herself back on her dogs, her winter outfit slightly snowy and grimy. "Alright, now you try it."

"Well, they say a little dirt never killed anyone." shrugged Lincoln with a little smile, letting himself fall. "And in this case, it's actually saving our lives."

He was immediately followed by some of the girls, and a little afterwards by the other, a little more recluant to get themselves dirty. But of course, the most difficult case immediately reared up her head. "Come on, Lola ! It won't work if we don't all do it." said Leni, applying snow and dirt as though she was taking a shower.

"But it's like asking me to roll in filth ! Which is exactly what you're asking me to do !" whined the posh little princess. "Forget it ! There is no way in a billion years that I'll-"

Lola's tirade was cut short when she found herself face-planting the ground, courtesy of her twin's shove. Lana rolled her around with the expertise of a sushi master, despite the muffled vociferations and promises of Hell on Earth. She kept at it for a good five seconds for efficiency, then five extra seconds because it was very amusing to her, then finally put her back on her feet.

Lola looked frazzled at first, still trying to grasp what had just happened. Then, taking a glance at herself in her compact mirror, she turned horrified, looking at all the wild hairs once again poking out of her blond curtain of perfect magnificence ; _her thoughts, not mine._ And finally, the mist of despair turned into a brewing storm of rage. Lola could barely remember the last time she had felt so angry, so willing to bite into anything that moves. Her hands took the shape of hair-tearing claws, and her ragged breathing was on par with a rage-filled tiger.

But then, Lana had the gall, the **nerve** , to hush her rage with a single chiding finger, to tame her blazing fury like the tantrum of a naughty child. "Ah ah, we've got bigger fish to fry right now. We can't mess our plan for some petty bickering, am I right ?"

Lola sputtered, almost choking at this. Petty ? _**PETTY ?!**_ She was now a fuse away from setting her whole reason ablaze, and all her mind would focus on would be to make her sister's face as blue as her SOUL.

But... she let it go. Just like that, the skies cleared up, and a serene smile appeared on Lola's face. "Yeah, you're right. Let's just keep going with the Fight." she nodded, patting her twin's shoulder, who grinned back.

"The tigress just masked her claws." announced Lucy omniously, but certainly not cryptically, as only Lana was fooled by Lola's sweetness.

"No.2 Nuzzle Champs '98 !" proclaimed Dogamy, readying his axe.

" _Of course, second place was a given._ " added Dogaressa. For some reason, Lincoln felt a huge shudder of disgust pass along his spine when she said that.

The Dogi threw another Heart Ring attack, that the kids more or less dodged, with Lincoln bonking his knee against one of the white hearts. Once they were done, the white-haired preteen limped to the ACT Button, and selected the second phase of the plan, _Re-sniff_.

"Hey, dog guards ! Care for another sniff ?" beckoned Leni, striking a pose.

Dogamy and Dogaressa glanced at eachother, and decided another whiff couldn't hurt. They did so, expecting to find the same scent that would renew their fervour to strike the humans down. But it was another smell that met their nostrils, and made their floppy ears fly up in surprise.

"Wait a minute, that smell of snow and rolling around..." said Dogamy, the realisation coming to him. "Could you be..."

" _Are you actually a bunch of lost puppies ?!_ " gasped Dogaressa in shock. The duo was so surprised by this possibility that they completely let go of their weapons.

"It's working." whispered Lynn excitedly, before raising her voice. "Uh, yep, we're puppies alright." She even added a couple of enthusiastic barks to make her claim believable, followed by her siblings, though Lucy resorted to simply say "Bark" in the most disinterested way possible.

" _Oh honey, it's horrible. We've been attacking puppies this whole time !_ " weeped Dogaressa, her welling eyes making a few humans' SOULs ache.

As he comforted his wife, Dogamy couldn't help but look thoughtful. "I could've sworn we were fighting humans..." he mumbled behind his little mustache. But Dogamy knew, his nose wasn't lying to him. It had never lied to him before, why would it be now ?

With their minds lost in this problem, the two monsters didn't launch any attack, leaving a moment of respite for the Louds. "Lana, I feel obliged to apologise for my previous skepticism. This was simple, yet brilliant." commended Lisa, which certainly meant a whole lot coming from her.

"I had a little help." said Lana, ruffling the top of Lily's hood.

"I don't think we're out of the _doghouse_ just yet." remarked Luan, slipping in her usual little pun. "Look at their names, they aren't yellow yet. The fight is not over."

"But they're not attacking us anymore. What else could we be missin' ?" pondered Luna.

Lana snapped her fingers, finally coming to senses with a certain jokester's advice. "What every dog needs, and just what Sans ordered." She touched Dogamy's name, and saw the _Pet_ option still being there, but no longer as a rash decision. As the _right_ decision. The young animal-lover made her way to the distraught couple, who were already nuzzling their troubles away, and tapped the mustachoied dog's knee.

Dogamy finally felt the presence of the greasy little blonde, and looked at her. As far as he was concerned, she was the one who felt the most like the dog, not just by the scent. "Something wrong, little pup ?" he asked.

"I wanna give you something. Can you get your head closer to me for a moment ?" Lana solicited innocently.

Dogamy saw absolutely no reason not to do it, thus he kneeled to Lana's level. But he had no idea that he had just walked into her deadly trap of affection, and before he could react, he found a little glove stroking the top of his head. Doggo had gone wild over it, while Lesser Dog had melted under it. To Dogamy though, it looked like as if her touch was electric, and recoiled hastily.

"W-What ?!" he cried out in alarm.

" _Honey ! Are you alright ?!_ " fretted Dogaressa. She patted her hubby's head for any trace of harm, and could only sense his distress. She didn't like to see him distressed. _And she liked those who caused said distress even less._ A scornful scowl spreaded across her features, and she bore it through the little girl's skull. She did not care what her nose was telling her anymore, there was price to pay.

Lana took a step back, for she wasn't fond of the fire that danced in Dogaressa's eye. She was ready to retreat further away, when she saw Dogamy regaining a hold on himself.

"Sugarlumps, it's okay ! It's just... she pet me." drawled Dogamy, almost out of breath. "A puppy pet me."

The kids were momentarily confused by how much of a big deal that was. Dogaressa on the other hand, was shocked beyond belief. That could not be ! Could it ? Had any dog dared to go this way ? There was only one way to be certain.

Steeled with resolution, Dogaressa's snout quicklyapproached Lana. " _Do me next ! Don't leave me out !_ " she half-pleaded, her scorn all but gone, and her tail wagging with curiosity and excitement.

Lana grinned from ear to ear, relieved she hadn't sparked any more conflict. She turned to her siblings, whose stances sagged with the same relief. "You heard the lady, big bro." Lincoln obliged, and pressed the _Pet_ action again, this time under Dogaressa's name. Lana rubbed her head, and Dogaressa jumped back, her eyes wide with surprise.

" _She pet me too ! Can it be ? Can... dogs pet other dogs ?_ " she threw her question to the world.

"You've never tried petting eachother before ?" said Lana inquisitively. "My siblings pet me all the time, and to eachother. Even Lucy get a rub every now and then."

"I can appreciate human contact every now and then, if it's short. And not a noogie." Lucy shot dryly to a whistling Lynn.

The Dogi were astonished, their minds scrambled with a parsley of amazement. Dogs petting other dogs ? The concept was simply foreign to them, unimaginable ! And yet, now that they knew, they only wondered why they hadn't tried it before. The two monsters turned to eachother, their hearts uncertain, but the same idea locking their gazes and paws.

"Pumpkin, should we try it ? Should we risk breaking what could be the ultimate dog taboo ? Bigger than actually catching your own tail ?" said Dogamy, high on dramatics.

Dogaressa's mind was full of questions, but she already knew the answer to give, as she rubbed her loved one's cheek tenderly. " _I would brave the Angel's Wrath, as long as it's with you._ " she declared with passion.

"Oh, my hot-dog."

" _Oh, snookums._ "

"Oh boy, this is getting good." murmured Lori, all too reminded of her sitcoms. And this was the moment that made the preceding five twenty-minute long episodes full of bickering, drama, sunset-gazing, and maybe a song or two, all worth it.

"I am in whole agreement with you, eldest sister." breathed Lisa, the pen in her hand jittering as she gazed at the Dogi slowly lifting their paws up. "We might be about to witness enlightenment in its purest and most unadulterated form."

The canine couple didn't let go of the other, nor did they stop looking at eachother. For if they did, they might lose the nerve to finish what they were about to do. But as long as they didn't, they wouldn't even flinch. Their paws were now hanging over the other's head, so close yet so far.

They lowered, slowly...

Slowly...

Slowly...

Slowly...

 **And then they reached the fur.**

In that one precise moment, many historical events happened at once. In explosions of solar dust, stars the size of thousands of Suns were born, while others went out in a planet-obliterating blaze of glory; infants let out their first cry to the world, some of them future actors to the better of humanity; a young child resolved her first addition, the first of many mathematic problems she would resolve through a life that would meet a Nobel Prize on the way; a person finally scratched that insufferable itch on their leg, realising that everything was possible in life, then prompty returned to wasting time by writing stories on the Internet.

And down in a magical world hidden from the human eye and knowledge, two dogs just had their entire worldviews stretched beyond anything they could have ever imagined.

* _"The Dogs' minds have been expanded. Very expanded."_

"Uh, are they going to be okay ?" followed Lincoln, a bit worried over the exagerated twinkle in their eyes, as if a galaxy had just been born into their wide pupils.

"I think we just blew their minds. But certainly nothing they can't recover from." Lisa brushed aside nonchalantly. If she could somewhat wrap her pure scientific mind around the Underground and its magic, they could certainly deal with the fact that the top of another dog's head was not an unattainable peak. It was only natural. And perhaps a bit on the vengeance side too.

Okay, a lot on the vengeance side.

"Aaand, we've got clearance for Mercy. I repeat, we've got clearance for Mercy." signaled Luan, pinching her nose to produce a nasally voice. "Captain Lana, you did a swell job. All in a _dog-day's work_ !"

Even Luan's pun couldn't make Lana's smile shrink. She had taught a very valuable lesson to those dogs, and all the while doing what she liked the most : rolling around in whatever the ground had to offer. She was messy, had pet to her heart's content, and above all, she was satisfied. For now, anyway. She wondered how many members of that Canine Unit still remained, and giggled at the thought of all the tricks she would taught them.

She rejoined the group, and contently watched her brother pressing the _Spare_ resolution.

* _YOU WON ! You've earned 0 EXP and 50 Gold._

 **Fight over.**

"Dogs can pet other dogs..." murmured Dogamy with wonder still etched in his voice.

" _It's a whole new world that has opened to us..._ " concurred Dogaressa, basking in the wonderful feeling. Would this be how it'd feel when a new world would litteraly be opened to them ? If so, then she couldn't wait.

The dog couple picked up their weapons, put their hoods back on, and were ready to leave. But as they were to pass by the humans, they took a moment to nuzzle the little blond puppy. "Thanks, little puppy !" said Dogamy.

" _To you, and your weird puppy friends !_ "

"Hey, why are we the weird ones ?" complained Lynn. She could catch a ball with her mouth as good as Lana could, and she could reach her ear with her foot. That had to count for something !

"Aww, you're welcome you two." cooed Lana, eagerly earning a few extra pets.

And with that, the canine couple made their exit, going back to their stations paw in paw, still radiating with love and wonder. "That was one adorable fight." summarised Luna. "You know, for a Royal Guard, they have mad tricks, but their weakness for petting is sure as heck easy to exploit."

"Is it such a bad thing though ?" said Lincoln.

Luna chuckled. "Not a chance."

"Well, that was sure fun." said Lola, giving her back a little stretch. "Did you have fun, sister ?"

"I sure did !" proclaimed Lana with a prideful puffed chest.

"Good..." purred Lola, her good-natured smile becoming more sinister by the second. She made every joint of her knuckles pop one by one, taking devilish glee into seeing the colour drain from her twin sister's face. The 'clear sky' cardboard décor fell down, to reveal the cataclysm behind. " **Everyone should enjoy their last moments on this planet.** "

"And, the claws are out again." said Lucy.

"Oh, dog biscuit." whimpered Lana in the meekiest of tones. Famous last words, before she saw the pouncing, war-shrieking form of her sister going for her eyes.

 _In respect for our readers and the RSPCA breathing down our necks, we will hide this scene of intense violence, and instead replace it with those dots that I'm sure, will encourage you to play some soothing tunes over watching a relaxing sunset. Or maybe you'll play some Metal while watching a kid's face meeting a telephone pole at high speed. We ain't gonna judge. Enjoy._

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

 _*Ding !*_

 _Ah, it seems that the heat has died down, and also that my ham and cheese sandwich is ready. We now return to LOUDERTALE._

"Cleanup in Aisle 3..." said Luna, cringing to the core to what she had just seen. The wrath of Lola was something you could behold so many times, and still feel cower in fear before it. When Lola said she could be crafty in how she dealt pain, she meant it. Dear Lynn-sagna, she meant it.

Lana laid battered on the ground, her foot twitching now and again to indicate that she was still alive. Lola hadn't done anything major, nothing that cartoon physics wouldn't heal in the next scene, but still looked like a pink truck had rolled over her, then had taken the time to come back and forth over her form at least a dozen times, just to be sure it had done the job right. Most bizarre of all however, was the fact that Lana wasn't dirty. There wasn't any blood coming out of her swollen nose, or grime on her clawed coat. In fact, Lana looked cleaner than before, with a nice scent of lavender spreaded over her.

To Lana, this was perhaps worse than the beating itself.

"Woo, not bad for _petty_ bickering, wouldn't you agree ?" sighed Lola contently, putting her gloves back on.

"That bacon's for table threven..." Lana uttered woozily.

Lola seemed happy with the answer, and gave the pouch left by the Dogi to Lori, who accepted it warily. "Now, let's finally get out of here, before a mole monster comes out or something."

"YES, I COMPLETELY AGREE !" cried out Leni, throwing Lana over her shoulder with a little too much enthusiasm, and a bit too large grin.

"Leni ? You seem kinda tense." pointed out Lincoln. The boy swallowed a gasp when she saw the Mad Hat-Designer pressing her nose against his.

"I'm okay-roney to the A-B-D, Linky ! And I'm certainly not in need of any break, that would keep us from seeing Papyrus again, for another second !" she giggled excessively, so much that a little foam started to appear. Nevertheless, she tried keeping it under control. "So, now, let's go and see what's next, okay ?"

Lisa shook her head. "Leni, I must insist that you quell your enthusiasm-"

" _OKAY ?_ " repeated Leni, instantly nose-to-nose with her little sister, her crazy look piercing through the little genius' thick lenses.

"Yes." squeaked Lisa.

The Louds thus departed, and Leni righted herself back to her perky and totes cute appearance. But at last, they were making progress. At last, she was going to see her Papy again, and they would talk, and laugh, and dance, and maybe something extra...

Yes, they would be reunited, and it would be the marvellous-est thing to see !

…

 _In the next chapter._

" _ **OH COME ON !**_ "

* * *

 **Author's Note : And there you have it, a little something to content you through the holidays ! I'm again sorry for the delay, and I can't promise that I will patch it up just like that. But what I can tell you, is that the show goes on, and it'll keep going no matter what ! So keep being great at keeping my morale up !**

 **Now, this is-**

Papyrus : WAIT A MINUTE, DEAR JESTER AUTHOR !

 **Uh, yes ? What is it ?**

Papyrus : THERE WAS A COMPLETE CHAPTER OF SNOWDIN, AND NO APPEARANCE OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS ! HOW CAN THIS BE ?!

 **Well, I kinda didn't have the time to include you this time around. But there'll be a whole bunch of Papyrus goodness in the next chapter, I promise ! You'll even be the opening act !**

Papyrus ( _Visibly saddened_ ) : OH. I SEE. I'LL JUST... WAIT FOR ANOTHER MONTH OR TWO. THAT'S FINE.

 **No, c'mon Paps, don't give me that look. Not the shiny eyes, not the quivering lower jaw, come on. I swear you'll... you... d'aww, alright, alright ! Here's a mini-story featuring you in the meantime ! There, happy ?!**

Papyrus : BRILLIANT ! LET THE SHOW BEGIN !

* * *

 _ **COOKING LESSONS WITH THE GREAT CHEF PAPYRUS !**_

 _ **(UP NEXT : Repairing your burning house in five easy steps.)**_

{ _Scene opens up in the skelebros' kitchen. Papyrus is wearing a white toque, as well as an apron reading 'Kiss the Skele-cook !'._ }

Papyrus : HELLO, PEOPLE OF THE INTERNOOT ! WELCOME TO GREAT CHEF PAPYRUS' COOKING LESSONS ! TODAY, WE ARE GOING TO LEARN HOW TO COOK PASTA ! A SIMPLE DISH, BUT OH SO GREAT TO PREPARE ! ALMOST AS MUCH AS ME ! NYEH HEH HEH !

 _ **Step 1 : Boil the water.**_

{ _Cuts to Papyrus in front of the stove._ }

Papyrus : FIRST, MAKE SURE THAT YOUR STOVE HAS BEEN SET AT THE PROPER TEMPERATURE.

{ _The stove catches fire._ }

Papyrus : PERFECT ! NOW, JUST ADD A MARMITE FULL OF WATER, AND LET IT BOIL UNTIL YOU SEE BUBBLES POPPING AT ITS SURFACE, OH SO DELICATELY.

{ _The pot catches fire. The water also catches fire._ }

 _ **Step 2 : Cut the Veggies.**_

{ _Papyrus stands in front of a chopping board, with some yummy veggies on it._ }

Papyrus : NEXT UP, LET'S DICE SOME VEGETABLES ! NOW, THE BEST TOOL TO USE HERE IS A NICE LONG KNIFE, PERFECTLY SHARPENED AND SQUEAKY CLEAN. BUT IF YOU ARE RUNNING ON A TIGHT SCHEDULE, LIKE ME...

{ _Papyrus revs up a chainsaw._ }

Papyrus : SIMPLY USE YOUR NEARBY CHAINSAW, AND COLLECT WHATEVER IS LEFT FROM YOUR CARNAGE !

 _In respect for the vegetables watching this, we have_ cut _this scene for you._ Orange _you glad we did ?_

Papyrus : SANS, ENOUGH WITH YOUR CARDS FULL OF PUNS !

 _ **Step 3 : Dunk the pasta.**_

{ _Papyrus does just that, dunking the spaghetti into the pot in slow-motion. The pasta collided with the still burning water, splashing it all over the kitchen, and sending the_ _Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns_ _to the Finals of the National USA Tournament._ }

 _ **Step 4 : Add the rest !**_

{ _Papyrus has a basket full of different types of food, and non-food, in his hands._ }

Papyrus : THIS IS WHERE CREATIVITY TAKES ITS COURSE ! ADD WHATEVER YOU WANT TO THE SAUCE ALREADY MADE OF THE TOMATO SCRAPS YOU'VE COLLECTED ! DON'T BE AFRAID TO BE BOLD, BUT BE CAREFUL, AS SOME INGREDIENTS CAN BE BAD FOR THE TASTE. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN'T ADD CHOCOLATE TO THE MIX. IT'LL HIDE THE LICORICE !

{ _Somewhere, a loud ghostly protest is heard._ }

 _ **Step 5 : Savour !**_

Papyrus : HERE'S THE BEST PART ! TO ENJOY YOUR HARD WORK, AND EVEN BETTER, TO LET OTHERS TO ENJOY YOUR HARD WORK ! TODAY, I HAVE MY BROTHER SANS TO TASTE OUT OUR WONDERFUL CONCOCTION !

Sans ( _visibly sweating_ ) : yeah, about that, can i get a rain check ? i have at least three naps i've still got to take.

Papyrus : NONSENSE ! WE'RE NOT EVEN IN WATERFALL ! OPEN WIDE !

{ _Papyrus forces a fork full of spaghetti covered in weirdly-coloured sauce in his brother's mouth. The agony appearing on Sans' face is impossible to describe, but the lazybones still manages to lift a shaky thumbs-up._ }

Papyrus : A ROUSING SUCCESS ! LET'S DANCE TO IT !

{ _Follows twenty minutes of Papyrus dancing the flamenco like a pro, making a certain ditzy blonde in the audience faint in endazzlement._ }

 _ **Conclusion.**_

{ _Papyrus and Sans stand next to eachother, with Sans still having a black spaghetti hanging from his mouth, and his eyes devoid of life. All the while with the stove still burning in the background._ }

Papyrus : THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE, FOLKS ! CATCH US NEXT WEEK AS WE TRY A MEAL MADE BY SANS : A WEIRD SUGAR-Y QUICHE ! BIZARRE, BUT APPARENTLY DELICIOUS ! SEE YOU NEXT TIME, AND DON'T FORGET TO NYEH AT YOUR HEART'S CONTENT !

{ _The skelebros both wave to the camera. Five second later, Sans pulls out a sign that says, 'If you're watching this Live, please, call an ambulance._ }

* * *

 **Ah, what you have to do to please the fans. And not getting my head axed off by a protective big bro.**

 **Anyway, until next time, this is Superdimentio77, telling you to stay awesome and have beautiful holidays ! Season's greetings !**


	13. Snowdin, Part 4

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 2 : Snowdin**

 **Part 4 : Pap-puzzles and some more non-Sans**

 **(I'm not sorry)**

 **Author's (Musical) Note :**

 *** _Jazz music starts to play, and a dashin' jester gets behind a piano*_**

 **SD77 : It seems today, that all you get, are sloppy self-inserts, and fics that upset.**

 *** _Sans pops into view, because of course he does_ ***

 **Sans : but where are all those good time-wasters...**

 *** _Loud Kids plus Toriel, Papyrus, and Napstablook slide into the shot_ ***

 **All : _That used to keep us quite late~ ?!_**

 *** _Las Vegas scene appears, everyone now has a golden outfit and dances the cancan, except Lucy and Napstablook who just twirl their canes*_**

 **Everyone : _Luckily, there is LOUDERTALE ! Eight hours of gameplay, into bloody essays ! And which update times-_**

 **Lily :A' Poo-poo !**

 **Everyone : _This. Is. LOU-DER-TAAAAAALE !_**

 **( _Cue applause. APPLAUD HARDER !_ )**

 **Happy (late) Anniversary, LOUDERTALE ! Wow, can you guys believe it's been one year since this little fic started ? Even though it wasn't even little to begin with ? Still, I'm very happy that after all this time, you guys still put up with me and my overcomplicating of such a simple story. But hey, one year down, only twelve to go, right ?**

 *** _Gets spit at, because I do not know da wae_ ***

 **But seriously, thanks for the support you've given me over this year. Things haven't been easy from this side of the screen, and writing just helps me get away, if just for a moment. But don't worry, I'm gonna land back on my feet pretty soon. Also, feel free to check the description at the end, where I'll answer that question about certain anomalies in the Loud House Timeline. In the meantime, appreciate this generous serving of puzzle and puns, courtesy of everyone's favourite duo.**

 **The Loud House, Undertale, and their characters are not my proprety. But soon, oh soon...**

 **Enjoy !**

* * *

The next area the Loud group accessed was a large turn to the left, almost shaped like an arrow pointing towards their final desination. In the middle of it was what most of them could already assume to be their next challenge. Rocks were disposed in a toppled-over 'H' fashion, and in each gap of the rock formation was a strange blue 'X' switch on the ground. By one side was another stone switch, and by the other was a little wooden sign, to which the kids lost no time gathering around.

Not recognising the writing to be Papyrus', Luna handed her reading responsibility to Lucy. "' _Turn every X into an O, then press the sitch. If you see a triangle, then you've gone too far. Or gone under, whichever way you look at it._ '" read the young poet.

"Man, this is a peace of cake ! Certainly doesn't looks like Lisa was the one to whip up all those puzzle ideas." said Lana.

"Yeah, there would be some numbers with those X's, about every letter of the alphabet, and some brain-busting equation that leads nowhere." snickered Lynn. Lisa only answered with an eye roll; the brunette could barely do the equations that _had_ a result, so it's not like she, her tutor, expected anything else from her.

"That seems more like Papyrus' kind of gig. I'm surprised he didn't leave some kind of boasting note, or stayed to explain everything in a dramatic and heroic tone !" Luna playfully mimicked, with Lily on her open palm like a Shakesperian skull, but a lot cuter.

Leni couldn't fight a sigh of deep enthrallment at the mention her bone beau's name. "Yeah, he would make it better than Will Smithpeare, or whatever his name is."

"He already has the skull ready too !" chortled Luan, elicting a few snickers. But as she turned her look to her right, she noticed two things. The row of spikes they needed to get off their way, and the monster standing right behind it. She directed Leni's attention with a small elbow nudge. "And it looks like the performance is running early. Or we are very late. Probably the second one."

Leni's brain snapped right to the words, and she let a gasp of awe, for Papyrus himself was there, his back facing them. And to Leni, there was no wrong side to the tall skeleton. Still, the blonde was making some progress with her emotions, managing to keep some composure at his view. But she was still weak in the knees, and her heart was still threatening to burst out of her chest like a wooden canary announcing noon. His serious and thoughtful expression didn't help in taming the butterflies in her throat.

"HMM, WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO ?" pondered Papyrus, drumming his fingers against his chin. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TRANSPORT THE HUMANS IF I DON'T HAVE MY HUMAN IMPRISONING EQUIPEMENT ?! AND SANS IS NOWHERE IN SIGHT. I MUST HURRY, FOR THE HUMANS, ENDEARED BY MY DELICIOUS TRAP, MUST BE FORGETTING HOW FREEZING IT IS ! THEIR TOES ARE PROBABLY ALREADY TURNING BLUE WITH COLD, AND THERE IS NOTHING WORST THAN FROZEN TOES ! OR SO I'VE HEARD."

"Can't you just take us all in one go with those broad arms of yours ?" proposed Lori with an amused little smile, as she and her siblings now stood near the range of spikes.

Papyrus gasped in joy. "OF COURSE ! FURTHER TRAINING, AND THE ACCOMPLISHEMENT OF MY MISSION ! BRILLIANT, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF ! THANK YOU, BOSSY HUMAN !"

While Lori rolled her eyes at the permanent nickname and made a mental note to 'accidentally' squish Sans' foot next time they'd see him, Lana raised an eyebrow. "Does he even know we're there ?"

"Well, we've seen the guy, so..." said Lola, while giving her infatuated big sister a knowing side-glance. She primed the countdown on her gloved fingers, "Three, two, one..."

The egg timer inside Papyrus' skull tilted, and realisation dawned on him as he spun around to find eight grinning faces, two disinterested ones, and one as red as a tomato. "HUMANS ?! B-BUT... HOW ?! HOW DID YOU GET HERE ?!"

"We... walked ?" tried Lincoln.

"And pet ! Don't forget pet !" chirped Lana, without a scrap on her from her little one-sided fight with Lola, all thanks to the healing magic of cartoons.

"OH ! LOVELY !" rejoiced Papyrus, before realising he was getting the wrong answer. "WAIT, NO ! WHAT I MEAN IS, HOW DID YOU GET PAST MY SPAGHETTI TRAP ?! I THOUGHT FOR SURE THAT YOU WERE ENTANGLED IN MY ENDEARING COOKING ! HOW IN THE ANGEL DID YOU ESCAPE ITS FLAVOUR ?!"

"By running very fast." whispered Lisa, who Lincoln swiftly ushered.

"BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY..." Papyrus squinted his eyes... and opened them with excitement, "DID YOU LEAVE ANY FOR ME ?! I DIDN'T GET TO TASTE THEM EARLIER ; NOT THAT MY CRAFTSMANSHIP NEEDS ANY TESTING, BUT STILL ! WELL ?"

" _Uhhh..._ " was the Louds' drawling answer. What else could they say ? The 'endearing meal' had been the worst piece of cooking they had ever seen, even beating the disastrous food amalgam they had whipped up in a panic to convince their father to spice up his dinner routine. At least that dish had been fit to enter the mouth with hopes to being spit. Even Lucy's spirit shuddered at the thought of the spaghetti's taste permanently imprinting itself on her tongue, like a plague or an amoeba. So yes, they had indeed left plenty of it. All of it.

But could they say it like that, send their raw advice to the cook's face ? One look at it, and the answer was pretty clear : Not in a million years. So, unlike him, subtlety was key here. And, against all odds, it was Leni who worked up the courage to break the news. "W-Well... I-I-we wanted to t-taste it, but we c-couldn't reach it, no m-m-matter how we tried." she stammered, her voice getting squeakier and squeakier with every word.

She dared to look at his expression, and the sight wasn't very encouraging. Papyrus didn't look happy, nor mad, or sad, or anything really. The most he had was this spark of surprise in his eyes, and the feel that he was processing these new informations. Blinking, he lightly scratched his chin. "SO... YOU DIDN'T EAT IT ? DESPITE HOW MUCH YOU WANTED TO... YOU DIDN'T TOUCH IT ?"

There was no reproach in his voice, not a single ounce. It was even, simply wanting an answer, with no repercussions behind it. But that didn't stop a pang of guilt to form in the Louds' SOULs, and a truck of it to ram into Leni's. "Sorry..." she murmured, dropping her vision to her foot aimlessly pushing some snow aside.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. YOU LEFT THAT POT OF SCRUMPTIOUS SPAGHETTI... SO YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH ME ?!" exclaimed Papyrus, his glowing grin bursting anew.

Leni's guilt turned into surprise, and hope bloomed in her mind. Another escape that didn't involve lying to her beloved ? Like, could she get any more lucky today ? Leni nodded vigorously. "The more the merrier ! P-Plus, I really wanted to taste them while they're totes f-fresh, and see how you cooked them. We all did, right guys ?"

"Yeaaah..." "Sure." "It does bear watching." "A _farfale_ for the eyes !"

The genuine flattery worked wonders on the human hunter, making a vivid orange tinge appear across his cheekbones. "WOWIE... NOBODY EVER SAID SUCH NICE THINGS ABOUT MY COOKING BEFORE, OR ASKED FOR A SECOND SERVING." gushed Papyrus. "FOR SOME REASON, THEY'RE ALREADY FULL BY THEIR FIRST FORKFUL." One could only wonder why that would be. _And he'd be the only one._

Papyrus felt his SOUL being set ablaze with the inferno of passion that had claimed his stove about a month ago, and pointed a proud finger to the ceiling. "FRET NOT, HUNGRY HUMANS ! GRAND MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS WILL COOK ALL THE PASTA YOUR LITTLE HEARTS DESIRE, AND YOUR EMPTY TUMMIES YEARN FOR !" A sleek tune began to play in the background, and Papyrus' voice turned smooth to mirror the atmosphere. "AND WE'LL ALL SHARE IT AROUND A CANDLELIT DINER, THE ONES WITH A VANILLA SCENT. WE'LL LAUGH, WE'LL COUNT STORIES, WE'LL GET TO KNOW EACHOTHER BETTER. THEN, WE'LL JOIN HANDS, GET CLOSER TO EACHOTHER, AND THEN... _AND THEN..._ WE'LL DECIDE WHO GETS SECONDS WITH A GAME OF ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS !"

"And, we lost her again." deadpanned Lori, observing her ditzy roommate's euphoric grin and dazzled pupils. They had lost her at the hands part. Lori sighed. At least she hadn't fainted, that was an improvement.

"Uh, I suggest we don't try that kind of system. It usually ends badly for the ones who don't choose Rock. Trust me on this." quipped Lincoln, remembering the Janken tactic to be his 37th failure to try and settle things peacefully for the last slice on Pizza night. Rocks hadn't been the only issue, as Scissors would go for the eyes for a quick blinding, and Paper were powder kegs towards explosive slappy fights. Eventually, he just fell back to the good ol' ABC, and let things be as they should be. _Louds be Louds._

"MAYBE, BUT IF YOU EVEN WANT TO TASTE MY MASTER COOKING, YOU'LL HAVE TO SOLVE THIS LITTLE PUZZLE FIRST ! BUT YOU'VE ALREADY FIGURED IT OUT, HAVEN'T YOU ?"

"I'd say it's pretty hard to mess it up." said Lana, as she jumped the nearest blue 'X' switch. As soon as her little boots made contact with it, a red circle appeared at its place.

"One little hop is all it takes !" sang Lola, pressing the other switch.

Lynn made a high jump, completed with a frontflip, and struck a perfect landing on the stone switch. The two circles turned a green lime colour, and the spikes disappeared into the ground, freeing the way. Papyrus applauded the solving's originality and style. "WONDERFUL ! TOO BAD I DON'T HAVE MY RATING CARDS, BUT YOU'D DEFINITELY BE GETTING AN 11 !"

Lynn, though grinning at the praise, had to raise an eyebrow at the strange rating. "Why eleven ?"

"BECAUSE I ALWAYS LIKE TO GO ONE STEP BEYOND !"

"I feel like someone should be remembering that, so we don't have to." said Lincoln, gazing at the camera. Why did he feel like shooting at the ceiling while drinking from a skull all of a sudden ? Also, was this reference being pushed too hard into play ?

 _Yes, it most definitely was._

"I think what we'll remember is how easy that puzzle was, dude. Next time, we'll just let Lily do it, eh ?" proposed Luna.

"Poo-poo, hehehe." giggled Lily, both curious and excited at the prospect of slapping some shiny figures on the ground.

Lori chuckled at the baby's enthusiasm. "Not a bad idea, as long as there is litteraly nothing dangerous, like electric walls or spikes."

"BUT KIDS LOVE DEADLY SPIKES ! THEY'RE HALF THE FUN !" quipped Papyrus earnestly.

"To avoid getting chopped _in_ half ?" grimly suggested Lucy.

"EXACTLY, LITTLE PSYCHIC HUMAN ! ANYWAY, GOOD JOB PASSING THIS PUZZLE, BUT... THIS WAS MERELY A TUTORIAL FOR A MUCH TOUGHER CHALLENGE ! WILL YOU SOLVE IT ? WE SHALL FIND OUT SOON ! SEE YA IN A BIT ! HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH NYEH !"

Once again, Papyrus skeedaddled out of the area, bounce in his step, and the kids watched him with ranging expressions from apathy to inner loving meltdown. "I hope he really means that 'soon'." swooned Leni, already missing the monster of her dreams.

"As long as we can keep going, I don't see the hurt in that." shrugged Lisa. "Let's resume our footwear shuffling, people. We do not want to end as did our friend's culinary disaster."

All were in agreement with that, minus Leni on the _disaster_ part. Nothing could ever be disastrous about him ! The only blunder she could find linked to him was the time they had to be apart. Leni let out a small sigh as she followed her siblings.

 _How long was soon, anyway ?_

* * *

"HELLO AGAIN !"

"Dang, he wasn't kidding when he said soon." commented Lana, not looking the least unhappy about that.

Navigating in the new area, a large straight way forward with thingamajigs soon to be discovered and most likely to be tampered with, the Loud group found Papyrus right by the path they were taking. It seemed his dash had only carried him so far, and that he wanted to converse some more.

"HOW GREAT IT IS TO SEE YOU AGAIN ! I JUST THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE SOME COMPANY WHILE YOU WALK TOWARDS YOUR NEXT ENTANGLING ENIGMA, MADE BY YOURS TRULY." boast-offered Papyrus, most charitably.

"You want to talk ? That's weird." commented Lola, before catching herself as felt a pair of eyes fall on her. Usually so warm and full of Kindness, they now carried a danger and frost that would make Lucy blush. "I mean, we don't mind at all, you're good in our books. But, don't you want to capture us and stuff ?"

Confusion wormed its way into Papyrus' expression. What strange questions these strange humans had. "WHY, JUST BECAUSE I WANT TO CAPTURE YOU, DOESN'T MEAN THAT I CAN'T GET TO KNOW YOU, HUMANS !"

"Careful to what you're gonna find. We all have our _skeletons_ inside our closets. Litteraly in some cases ! Am I right ?" jested Luan while nudging Lucy, who took it as well as she could. Skeletons inside _her_ closet ? Ha ! She liked her monsters with a little more cold and emotionally-dead flesh, thank you very much.

"WELL, THERE ARE NONE IN MINE ! EXCEPT ME SOMETIMES. AND SANS, WHEN HE NEEDS ANOTHER NAPPING SPOT. BESIDES, IF I GET TO KNOW YOU... YOU'LL GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ME !" said Papyrus, jerking a perky thumbs up towards himself. "SEE ? WE ALL WIN !"

"I guess so." chuckled Lincoln.

"I KNOW SO !" cried Leni in pure euphoria, so much that it was a wonder it hadn't propelled her to the ceiling and straight back to the Surface. The shy glint in her eyes had made way for a sky of fireworks, heart-shaped ones at that. But just like those, her look reverted back to a noiseless night sky, of slight embarassement this time around. "I-I-I mean, yeah, what he said."

"GREAT ! SO... ARE YOU REALLY ALL SIBLINGS ?" asked Papyrus, the first question coming to him when looking at the humans' odd sameness.

"Yep ! We're all Louds, and proud of it !" said Luna, accompanied by her siblings' supportive cheers.

"WHAT A COINCIDENCE ! I'M LOUD TOO ! AT LEAST IT'S WHAT OUR NEIGHBOURS SAY ! NYEH HEH HEH !" cackled Papyrus.

"It's more a family name, but yeah, loud count for us too." said Lori, referring to her and her siblings' legendary pool/supermarket/amusement park/magician show blacklisting. She then caught sight of Leni's blanching face, and immediately cleared up the misunderstanding. "No Leni, he doesn't mean it like that ! He's not part of our family, your love is still possible."

"Well, it would still be possible in certain cultures-" Lisa's science rant was stopped by Lori plugging her mouth with her green beret.

"Stop feeding her information she doesn't need to know." commanded the sistriach.

"Dwoovy nofed." sputtered Lisa, before pulling her headwear out.

"FOLLOW-UP QUESTION," continued Papyrus, unaware of the Louds' zaniness, or his own for that matter, "ARE ALL HUMANS SIBLINGS OF EACHOTHER ?"

"On a Darwinist view, humans do share-" began the mini scientist, before feeling Lori's hawk eye dead set on her. "Roger, information aborted." And with a dry look, she stuffed her hat back into her mouth.

Lori nodded, and turned to Papyrus to answer him. "No, we're the same species, but we are not all siblings."

Papyrus seemed actually surprised by this developpement. "REALLY ? BUT YOU ALL LOOK SO MUCH ALIKE ! THEN AGAIN, THE TEMMIES ARE... UM..." Papyrus trailed off, unsure of what to add about the second most mysterious species of the Underground, in his opinion. The first one was... more annoying. And shed a lot of white fur.

But no time thinking about that ! There were humans to know more about ! "ANYWAY, THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION, HUMAN BOSS !"

"Uh, I have a name, you know." remarked Lori, still not keen on the nickname. While exact, it felt weird being called like she was some kind of mafioso.

"I KNOW THAT ! IT'S BOSS, ISN'T IT ?"

Lori's index and thumb rejoined their good friend the forehead, for some much needed levity. "Did Sans tell you that ?"

"INDEED ! HE GAVE ME ALL YOUR NAMES WHEN I ASKED HIM, EVEN THOUGH HE HAD TO THINK ABOUT THEM FOR A MINUTE EACH TIME !" answered Papyrus candidly.

"Uh-huh. And might we know those 'names' he gave you ?" asked Lola, her arms crossed with dry anticipation, which was shared by most of the others. From their short experience with Sans, they could already feel the jabs at them coming.

"FIRST AND OLDEST, BOSS !"

Lori rolled her eyes.

"LENI !"

The blonde let out an enamoured giggle.

"MOONY !"

"Wow, zip for originality, dude." laid down Luna.

"SUNSHINE !"

Luan perked up. Whether it was her personality or the fact she dressed all in yellow, she could only appreciate this nickname.

"SPEEDY !"

Lynn audibly groaned. She could catch a ball with her mouth and scratch the back of her head with her foot, and suddenly that meant all of her nicknames had to be canine-based. At least it wasn't Fido this time...

"SNOW WHITE !"

"Never heard that one before." Lincoln commented sarcastically.

"GLOOMY MCGLOOMFACE !"

Unbeknownst by everone, Lucy furrowed her brow.

"SKIPPY !"

"I'm not a squirrel ! All kids stock acorns into their mouths, I swear !" said Lana, defending her honour.

"SPARKLES !"

"That's the name of a pony ! I'm... actually not sure if I'm mad." Lola thought about it for an instant, until her glare returned. "Nope, I'm mad !"

"POINTDEXTER !"

To avoid any comments, Lisa chose to keep munching on that hat a little longer. It was good for her enamel, she'd pledge some day.

"AND POTATO !"

Lily blew a happy raspberry. Potatoes were yummy, that meant so was she !

"Look, those aren't our names. At all." said Lynn rather grumpily.

"WHAT ?!" gasped Papyrus, derpy eyes comically bulging out of his sockets. He turned to look at the Loud fashionista. "YOUR NAME IS NOT LENI ?!"

"Yes it is !" Leni cried back, aghast that her good name could be doubted ! That... was her name, right ? Right ?!

"No no, Leni is Leni, but all the other names are wrong." corrected Lana. "He just gave you the nicknames hek made up for us."

"And he'll be getting a few choice words about mine." hissed Lucy, spooking the tomboy by her sudden appearance by her side.

"Let's start to the beginning." said Lori. "I'm Lori, the oldest. In order, we have Leni, whom you already know..." The young fashionista timidly waved. "Luna..." The rocker saluted with a flick from her forehead. "Luan..." The clownette made her pocket klaxon honk. "Lynn..." The athletic girl gave her right arm a good flex. "Lincoln..." The sole brother waved for two. "Lucy..." The spooky duchess gave a simple nod. "Lana..." The handygirl flashed an almost-toothy smile. "Lola..." The pink pageant emperess swiftly passed a hand through her long blond bangs. "Lisa..." The small genius, hat back where it belonged, pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "And Lily." The tot gave a greeting babble.

"A SIMILARITY DOWN TO THE INITIALS ! HOW UNCANNY ! YET STRANGELY MARKETABLE..." mumbled Papyrus in the beard he wished he had. Nothing told prestance and royalty than a big, bushy beard ! Everyone in the Underground knew that... "ANYWHO, I HAVE ASKED MY QUESTION, HAVE A SHOT AT YOURS !"

'" _What's your favourite colour ?! What do you like in a girl ?! How do you keep yourself so handsome ?! WILL YOU MARRY ME, LIKE, RIGHT NOW ?!"_ ' Those were only a speck of questions compared to the entire stampede trying to force its way through her throat at once, but getting all stuck as a result. She just couldn't wrap her mind around the one good question to start off, she felt so confused ! Not the first time, certainly not the last, but admittedly a very embarassing one. She simply wasn't ready for such deep exchange.

So, with a sigh of defeat, she let Lola have the first question. "So, I was joking earlier, but I gotta ask for real : Do you ever power down ?" She received a sharp jab into her ribs first, courtesty of her messy twin. "What ? I'm really curious about that !"

"OF COURSE I DO !" responded Papyrus, not the least bit offended. "A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP IS IMPORTANT FOR A GOOD DAY OF WORK IN THE ROYAL GUARD !"

"I thought you were aiming for the Royal Guard." said Luan, cocking her brow.

Beads of sweat appeared on Papyrus' forehead, a phenomenon that had Lisa's eye slightly twitching. "W-WELL, I'LL SOON BE PART OF IT ! WHAT MORE NATURAL THAN TO ALREADY PREPARE MYSELF FOR THE GRUELLING, YET REWARDING WORK OF A SENTRY ?! AND I KNOW NO BETTER WAY THAN TO BEGIN THE DAY WITH SOME HEALTHY MORNING TRAINING !"

Lynn's attention and interest were caught faster than she herself would have caught the ol' pigskin thrown across the field. "Morning training ? Like push-ups, stretching, all that good stuff ?" she asked excitedly.

"NATURALLY ! BEFORE BREAKFAST, I PICK UP THE DAY WITH 20 LAPS AROUND SNOWDIN, WITH THE TWO LAST ONES ON ONE FOOT, TO BE SURE I'LL ALWAYS CARRY ON IN CASE ONE OF THEM GET ASLEEP ! THEN, AFTER EATING OF COURSE, I ATTACK THE DAILY CHORES WITH ENERGY, TREATING EVERY ONE OF THEM LIKE A RESOURCEFUL ACTIVITY, OR A SPORT !"

Lynn's face brightened up considerably, as her heart flourished. "No way ! I do that too ! Batting dust, dunking laundry, catching flying plates. I even have my own record for fastest bed-making ! Still number 1 of the house, don't want to brag." she bragged anyway, ignoring Lola's stinging stink eye.

"WELL, ALSO NOT TO BRAG – BUT MAYBE A LITTLE BIT – I AM QUITE THE MAESTRO IN DUSTING GYMNASTICS ! NO DUST OR KETCHUP STAIN CAN RESIST MY TRIPLE FEATHER DUSTER AXEL !" bellowed Papyrus, twirling on the ground like a majestic ballerina. They didn't know about the dust going wild, but the kids could tell that it was sending the 16 year-old to heavens.

Lynn's happiness meter also wasn't out of juice. Chore-athlon was always something she did alone, as her siblings, most of the time, simply couldn't be bothered. Even Lana could hardly see the fun in it, and the alternative for her to partake into competition involved either pipework, something Lynn had been banned from since the time she'd messed with the water heater, and cleaning after the pets, which the brunette wouldn't do since... let's just say that Lana's chimp had a precise bathroom schedule, and an even more precise aim when said schedule was being messed with.

She turned to her siblings with an expression of absolute smugness. "Well, it's good to see someone who gets what it means to be healthy, even thought he doesn't have any muscle. Take notes, guys. Take notes."

"Yeah, twenty laps around the neighbourhood without a drop of coffee in my belly and my brain half-asleep ? Dream on, dudette." deadpanned Luna.

"We brought an end on our parents' extreme fitness tendencies for a reason." quipped Lisa, her tone equally as dry. "Besides, my latest urinal tests have shown that everyone in our family is at an adequate level of healthiness, even the less thrilled to partake into any form of physical exercise."

"When did you- you know what, never mind. This is one question I'd rather _drop down_ ! Get it ?" cracked Luan, trying to hide her disgust for her sister running that kind of test. 'For the good of science' was an excuse that was getting pretty old, and if it wasn't to whip up some kind of amazing liquid of epic effects, then Lisa would soon find the bathroom closed to her forever. And forever was a pretty long time to hold it in.

Lynn took the cocky attitude down a notch. "Heh, yeah. I guess there _is_ such a thing as being too healthy. Still, wouldn't hurt you guys to put on some muscle in there, instead of dieting all the time." professed the brunette, making her eldest sister's arm wobble like a noodle.

"I do not diet all the time ! Besides, I happen to litteraly like broccoli jello." rebuked Lori, reclaiming her arm and her honour.

"WHAT'S JELLO ?" asked Papyrus, having heard the mention of what was apparently human food.

"Well, you know Moldsmals ?" said Lincoln.

"YES ?"

"Kinda the same thing, except with a distinct taste, and not alive. In this case, with the taste of broccoli"

"...THAT SOUNDS TERRIBLE." avowed Papyrus, his face all scrunched up despite the lack of skin. "DO THEY HAVE SPAGHETTI FLAVOUR ?!"

"I... guess so ?" said Lincoln, not sure if that was even a thing, but the more he thought about it, the more promising it sounded. "Can we do that ?"

* _You feel like your aims in food are terrible. As you should._

"Better than to scarf down chocolate all day." retorted Lincoln in a mumble.

* _YOU TAKE THAT BACK !_

"WELL, IF IT DOESN'T EXIST, THEN I'LL BE THE FIRST ONE TO MAKE IT ! IT'LL BECOME THE TOWN'S RENOWNED DISH IN NO TIME ! 'WELCOME TO SNOWDIN TOWN : HOME OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND ITS GREATLY DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI JELLO !'" fantasised Papyrus. His glowing look fell into the distance, where he could see the golden-lettered words appearing.

"Kind of a mouthful." said Lana.

"Ha ! Good one, sis !" praised Luan.

"Jello with tomato sauce ? That sounds like a huge stain hazard." remarked Lola, trying to sound snooty. But it didn't hold up really well when she remembered their own table habits. "Then again, food and garnish splattered across your face is pretty much a given at the kids' table." she reminisced with a chuckle.

"DO NOT WORRY, LITTLE HUMAN CLONES ! WE'LL HANG A BIGGER BANNER FOR THE NEW SLOGAN, AND MY SPAGHETTI JELLO WILL BE GUARANTEED STAIN-FREE ! WHY, IT'LL EVEN BE GREASE-FREE, THAT MUCH I CAN ASSURE !"

"Why ? Grease is awesome ! It makes the burgers at Burpin' Burger all that more special !" said Luna, whipping her harmonica, and blowing a high note. "Ready, mates ?"

" _Hungry y'all ? Look no further. Come on down to Burpin' Burger ! Grade B beef and special spice, when it comes back up it's twice as nice !_ " chanted the Loud kids in unison, before letting out the iconic belch. Even Leni did out of instinct, and her ears burned bright red when she realised what she had just done.

Papyrus held a bemused expression hearing the slogan. He had to admit that the song was catchy, and it brought a joyful ode to children's hearts, so that was good ! Problem was, it promoted grease, and the finish was a bit uncouth... just like kids. Huh, it all made sense now ! Papyrus made his mind content, and clapped for the slogan. "WOWIE ! WHAT A NICE SONG ! A GREASE-FILLED SONG, BUT A GOOD SONG NONTHELESS !"

"Say, what's your _beef_ against grease ?" joke-asked Luan, earning an small groan from the interviewed. "And for that matter, what's the problem with puns ?"

"I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST PUNS IN GENERAL ! BUT THEY'RE JUST LIKE CINNAMON IN THE SPAGHETTI SAUCE : YOU CAN HANDLE ONLY SO MANY BEFORE YOU FEEL THE NEED TO SCREAM TO THE HEAVENS ! WHEREVER THAT IS. AND I HAVE HAD MY DOSE OF LAZY CINNAMON FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS." explained Papyrus with a side-glance, knowing full well that the source of his annoyance was listening.

"You get used to it." said Lucy, knowing full well it was a lie.

"AS FOR GREASE, IT JUST... GETS EVERYWHERE. EVEN MY BATTLE BODY IS INEFFICIENT TO PREVENT BURGER GREASE TO GET ALL OVER MY RIBS !" sighed Papyrus, his arms crossed in slight annoyance. "IT DOESN'T HELP THAT MY BROTHER PRATICALLY LIVES IN THE GREASE PURGATORY ITSELF."

"Yeah, your brother does seem like the kind of guy who would eat burgers every day." said Lincoln. "I think I saw bottles of ketchup and mustard behind his stand."

"That guy must have burgs in his pockets all the time. Why else would he have that at his work station all the time ? To drink from them ?" jested Lynn.

(* _Rimshot_ *)

"So, um, w-hat do you think of your b-brother ? He seems kinda nice." threw in Leni. Being close to family was a point that Leni could only admire, and she wanted to see how much love for it the dreamy skeleton had.

However, love wasn't exactly what Papyrus' expression screamed at the moment. It mostly sighed a deep exasperation that in the end, you knew you could and had to live with. A feeling certainly not alien to the humans, directed towards eachother quite often. "SANS IS A PECULIAR PUZZLE. ONE THAT HAS A SOLUTION, BUT DOES EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE IT DOESN'T HAVE ONE !"

"That's deep. Mind if I write this down ?" asked Lucy, a twinge of admiration in her monotone.

"OF COURSE NOT ! IT'S ONLY NORMAL THAT I INSPIRE YOU ! NYEH HEH HEH !" Papyrus cackled happily, before drooping back to his irritated mood. "BUT TO SPEAK TRULY, MY BROTHER'S LOVE FOR GREASE AND PUNS ARE NOT THE REASON I'M A BIT DISAPPOINTED IN HIM. WELL, IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T HELP, BUT THAT'S NOT IT ! NO, IT IS SOMETHING MUCH DEEPER, MUCH MORE COMPLEX AND GRIPING TO MY VERY AWESOME SOUL..."

{ _Undertale OST - Premonition_ }

The tension was now palpable, the air felt that much heavier, giving the Louds' very SOULs a light squeeze. The lightning around also seemed to dim, and any far-away noise they had been hearing then and again was silent, as if the whole forest and its surroundings were listening. This reminded them all too well of a certain question asked this morning. A question that was technically never asked...

"MY BROTHER... HE'S NOT ALWAYS WHAT HE SEEMS." 'murmured' Papyrus, more serous than they had ever seen him be. "HIS POWER IN THAT DOMAIN... IT IS UNLIKE ANYONE HAS EVER SEEN OR KNOWN. HE KNOWS THINGS, THINGS YOU WOULD ONLY KNOW THE KERNEL ABOUT AFTER POURING YEARS TRACKING AFTER HIM... SANS IS... HE IS..."

The humans took a collective gulp, bracing themselves for the big reveal. They had only known him for an hour or two, but it was enough for them to have that suspicious feeling about him. The way he had approached them, that look he'd given them at times, the fact he was wearing pink slippers. It couldn't be all just a coincidence ! There just had to be something weird about him, something huge, something mind-blowing !

Intermingled hands squeezed and breaths were cut short when Papyrus looked at them, inhaling a heavy gulp of air to say it, say the thing that would change their views on Sans forever...

"...HE IS A VERY LAZY MONSTER."

{ _Le Record Scratch_ }

The group fell apart, and on the ground, right on their faces. All this tension for naught. This place was playing with their feelings and expectations like a yo-yo, and they honestly didn't know how they kept falling for it.

"HUH. I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD SURPRISE YOU _THAT_ MUCH." blinked Papyrus in confusion.

"That's because we're not !" chided Lola. "Sans being lazy isn't a secret, it's _litteraly_ the first thing you notice about him !"

"That, and that he's got a very poor sense of humour." said Lori, a hue of pink spreading across her cheeks. Most awkward handshake ever.

"...OH. THEN I SUPPOSE MY BROTHER IS EVERYTHING HE SEEMS TO BE !" Papyrus corrected himself.

"Yeah, but is he really that lazy ? I mean, he's at least on his feet and dressed. That's more than some of my pals can say back home." commented Luna, remembering the time she and her two friends surprised their bandmate Victor in his bed at noon. On the plus side, she had been a bit short on dough at this time of the month, and lunch was on him, in exchange of forgetting all about 'Grizzly Hendrix'.

The lack-of-smile virus took a hold on the lanky skeleton once more. "MY BROTHER'S LAZINESS... IT'S NOTHING SHORT OF LEGENDARY. BUT IN AN INFAMOUS WAY ! UN-LEGENDARY IF YOU WILL ! THERE IS NO BARE MINIMUM THIS LAZYBONES CANNOT UNDERMINE ! WITHOUT MY ASSISTANCE ? HIS TRAINING GRAPH WOULD BE AS FLAT AS A CARPET, WHICH HE SOMETIMES TAKES A NAP ON ! SO OF COURSE, I DELEGATE MYSELF TO PUT HIM ON THE COUCH, THAT IS TWO STEPS AWAY FROM HIM !"

"Pshh, I do that sometimes." said Lana dismissively. Carpets were a good place to curl on from time to time, especially the one in the parents' room. The carpet was always greener on the side that wasn't being constantly trampled by eleven pairs of feet. "C'mon, how lazy are we talking here ?"

"TWO WEEKS AGO, HE BEGAN A SOCK COLLECTION. HE HAS ABOUT ONE, BECAUSE HE 'LET THE OTHER ONE ESCAPE'." quoted Papyrus in one long sigh.

Lana blanched, and could feel her legs getting asleep by this tale alone. "Oh wow, that is lazy." she yawned. "Geez, could someone get me some snommmm... _YEEK !_ " Lana jumped three feet in the air as snow rolled down her back, courtesy of Lincoln. "Thanks bro."

"Don't mention it." Lincoln patted her head.

"Wait, and with a pedigree like that, they still recruited your brother in the Royal Guard ? How come ?" asked Lori. If the guy couldn't be bothered to catch a sock, how could he be catching a human ?

"WELL, IT'S NOT THAT SANS CANNOT DO THE JOB, IT'S THAT HE DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT. SO HE KEEPS WALKING ON THE MINIMUM LINE, SWAYING FROM SIDE TO SIDE, BUT STILL ON IT, STILL EMPLOYED ! BESIDES, THEY PAY WELL. AND THEY HAVE A GREAT DENTAL PLAN !" nyehed Papyrus, flashing his pearly whites.

"You know, maybe you should give him a little pep talk, or shake him up good. Heck, do both !" offered Lynn enthusiastically.

"I love the guy, but if you feel like you need to do something, don't hesitate to shake him back to his _Sans_ es, hahaha !" jested Luan with a mostly supportive tone.

"I LIKE YOUR SPIRIT, HUMANS ! BUT CATCHING SANS IS SOMETHING EASIER SAID AND FANTASISED THAN DONE." said Papyrus.

"Huh, I didn't think you could down the mood. Nicely done." complimented Lucy.

Lola raised a confused eyebrow, hands on her hips. "Didn't you say a minute ago that he was so lazy he couldn't even catch socks ?"

" _WOULDN'T_ , NOT _COULDN'T_! SANS IS VERY GOOD AT DODGING CONVERSATIONS. AND EVERYTHING ELSE, REALLY."

"Kinda like us." piped Luna.

"I HOPE NOT ! HE'S ALREADY PARASITING YOU WITH AWFUL PUNS !" exclaimed Papyrus, trembling at the horrifying thought of a world solely populated by Sanses. A world with laziness, grease, and not a vacuum cleaner in sight.

"I think you're being a bit too hard on him, to be honest. Yeah, he's a lazy prankster, but he seems a good guy, and helpful when he wants to." defended Lincoln.

"Yeah, he _ribs_ me the right way, get it ?" said Luan.

"He helps in his own way. It's not much, but it litteraly does count for something." acknowledged Lori.

"'Nans, whoosh !" said Lily, waving her little mittens in the air.

"...H-He is, like, pretty nice nice." Leni quipped shyly, knowing she wasn't taking the side of her darling Papyrus.

"WHY, OF COURSE HE IS ! MY BROTHER MAY BE FULL OF ANNOYING QUIRKS, BUT HE IS TWICE AS FULL WITH WONDERFUL QUALITIES ! NYEH... AND THAT'S KIND OF THE PROBLEM." Papyrus took a pause, suddenly looking quite upset. This was certainly new. "SANS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ON THE LAZY SIDE, IT'S TRUE ! BUT RECENTLY, IT'S GOTTEN WORSE. AT TIMES, HE JUST LOOKS SO DEFEATED FOR NO REASON AT ALL, LIKE HE THINKS THAT NOTHING HE DOES COUNTS, THAT NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE ! HE KEEPS SMILING, SURE, BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW..."

And just like that, the kids' views on the skeletons shifted. Not as much as they expected Sans' big reveal to be, but a certain depth had been added to the humouristic duo. The way Papyrus always seemed to do his maximum to be as exageratedly peppy as possible... could it be that he just wanted to prove his bro something ?

"So, you're carrying the team all by yourself, huh ?" Lynn.

Papyrus sharply exhaled the air in his rib cage, and energy gradually made its way back into his tone. "IT IS A HARD TASK, BUT I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO BE **DETERMINED** FOR THE TWO OF US. REALLY, IT'S A WONDER WHAT A LAZY GUY LIKE HIM WOULD DO WITHOUT A GREAT GUY LIKE ME TAKING CARE OF HIM ! BUT I'LL CARRY ON AS LONG AS I NEED TO!" he openly boasted, his flare up and blazing again. "GIVING UP IS NOT AN OPTION, IT'S NEVER BEEN ONE ! AS LONG AS MY HEAD IS BETWEEN MY SHOULDERS, AND MAYBE EVEN WHEN IT ISN'T, I SHALL NOT SURRENDER ! I'LL KEEP HOPPING FORWARD AND TOY WITH THE ODDS, WITH MAXIMUM PAPYRUS ! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH !"

A feeling of warmth invaded the siblings' chests hearing the cheesy, but uplifting speech. He was still very naive, and reckless, most of them still had no doubt about that. But also remained the thought that there was just something endearing and likeable about this naivety. To give up was not an option, he said. And that was exactly what the kids needed to hold in mind, if they ever wanted to see the upper world again.

Leni was tearing up in joy. And to think that for a moment, she had thought of the lanky monster as something less than perfect. Shame on her ! But now it turned out that his energy was made of nothing but good will, and towards his family. He was raking up good points in her heart at a speed that would be leaving a cheetah gobsmacked.

Though she didn't outright show it, the bespectacled smartypants felt envigorated by this new development, but tugged on what actually needed to be done. "Well, I believe this little exchange was most informative, but I suggest we start carrying on now. After all, we have yet to see what you have in store for us, or this town we keep hearing snippets about." she pointed out.

"WHY, HUMAN POINT- I MEAN, HUMAN LISA, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ! LET'S GET TO IT, SO I CAN CAPTURE YOU, AND WE CAN ALL CALL IT A DAY !" bellowed Papyrus, half-excited and half-mimicking a ne'er-do-well plotting his ultimate scheme.

"Yeah, that remains to be seen, pal ! If anything, maybe we'll have you in cuffs by the end of all of this !" smirked Lola, getting excited as well.

"You start us up, and we're gonna finish this !" Luna fist-pumped, flashing a knowing grin. The electric atmosphere Papyrus was creating was plucking the right chords in her, almost making her forget that they were still gambling with their very lives. Although, with Papyrus, it just felt very unlikely to happen.

"ZADABAH !" Lily let out her battle cry, both pumping and adorable.

"RIGHT YOU ARE, LITTLE HUMAN ! ONWARD !" said Papyrus, pointing ahead dramatically. And in a litteral leap, the skeleton was already well ahead of our heroes.

"Well ? No time to flunk back there, come on !" called Lynn, already going on his tail.

"Wait for me !" cried Leni with her legs taking a whirlwind form to propel her forward like a certain roadrunner, and with the speed to get ahead of Lynn, surprising the brunette, but certainly not deterring her. The other siblings quickly followed suit, passed a pine tree or two, then came to the end of the small path.

Here, they discovered their next challenge, which looked to be pretty much the same thing as before : blue 'X' switches on the ground, all surrounded by a formation of rocks, a wooden sign near it, and a stone switch. Only this time, the puzzle was far bigger, with at least a dozen switches to activate, and the rocks arranged to form a tiny maze, with more switches on some parts than others. The wooden sign was checked first, but nothing much came of it.

"' _Turn every X-_ ' Yep, it's the exact same sign." said Lincoln, wondering why someone would put the same instructions to the same puzzle separated by a walk of about ten seconds.

"Well, at least this one does look harder. But the form seems a bit weird, I don't know why..." Lana tapped a thoughtful finger against her temple.

"I think it looks perfect !" blurted out Leni, realising the true form of the puzzle design before anyone else.

Lori had to raise an eyebrow at her roommate's sudden infatuation for a pile of rocks. "Hey Leni, I know it's made by that guy, but don't you think you're litteraly blowing it a bit out of-" she whispered to the enamoured's ear, until she took another good look at the way switches and stones were arranged. " _Ah._ Never mind then, keep admiring." she conceded, patting Leni's head.

"Welp, that's one way to brand your puzzle, brah." whistled Luna.

"YES, ABOUT THAT... HOW DO I PUT IT..." uttered Papyrus, twiddling his fingers with certain awkwardness. "YOU WERE TAKING QUITE SOME TIME TO ARRIVE, SO I DECIDED TO GIVE THE PUZZLE A LITTLE MORE FLARE, BY REARRANGING IT TO LOOK LIKE MY FACE ! INGENIOUS, RIGHT ?!"

"As narcissistic as it is, and really weird too, it's sorta well crafted." Lucy commented with her usual bluntness.

"GLAD YOU LIKE IT !" said Papyrus, completely ignoring the implied jabs at his person. "BUT HERE'S THE HITCH... THE COLD HAS FROZEN THE PUZZLE OVER, AND I CAN'T MOVE IT ANYMORE. SO NOW THE SOLUTION IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. WHICH MEANS EVEN I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT IS !"

"So you traded efficiency and a logical solution for visual appeal ?" inquired Lisa with a flat look.

"I'D SAY SO, YES !"

"...Do you monsters know aspirin ?"

"OF COURSE, WE HAVE A TON OF THOSE !"

"Of course you do."

"So, you're as stuck as we are ?" concluded Lynn, looking at the very long row of sharp spikes behind the puzzle, blocking the way ahead.

"STUCK ?! WITH I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BY YOUR SIDE, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS YOU BEING STUCK AT THE ODDS OF A PUZZLE !" exclaimed the puzzle master, making his scarf float in the breeze. A certain blonde certainly didn't look she minded being stuck here. "WHY, I'LL HAVE THE SOLUTION FIGURED OUT BEFORE YOU KNOW IT ! BUT, THIS PUZZLE _WAS_ MADE FOR YOU. SO WHY NOT HAVE A SHOT AT IT FIRST ?! PROVE YOUR SKILLS AND FINESSE TO ME, HUMAN SIBLINGS !"

"Well, if we all go at once, it'll be over in a second." Lori casually remarked.

"That sounds a bit like cheating." frowned Lana. "You know, because it totally is."

"One, you've done it litteraly a minute ago. Two, our butts are freezing. I rest my case."

"But Lori, we HAVE to do it, or Papy will be so disappointed !" Leni whispered urgently. The skeleton was currently questioning Lucy about the secret of her eyes piercing through such thick bangs. Needless to say, the answer was both poetically cryptic and tersely straight to the point. Papyrus still approved with a thumbs up.

"Eh, what's a minute or two gonna cost us ? We already messed with the clock once, what's one more time gonna do ? Figuratively, of course." chuckled Luan, arm around her big sister's shoulders. Her buck-toothed smile shone for Lily giggling at one of her jokes for once.

"I approve. The last thing we want to administer this friendly monster is an unhealthy dose of rudeness." professed Lisa. Besides, he called her an astute child earlier. That had to deserve a smidge of respect from her.

Lori rolled her eyes, but complied. To win Papyrus' friendship was going in-pair with their wishes and promises. All she could hope is that if he was the 'Boss' of this place, and he was shaping himself to be, things would go differently. "Alright, fine. It doesn't look too complicated anyway, it should be quick. Lisa, want to give it a spin ?"

"A bit under my capacities, but eh, why not ?" shrugged Lisa.

"WAIT ! Guys, I've totes got to do it !" interjected Leni, still down to a whisper. Papyrus, now making push-ups alongside Lynn, paid it no mind.

Lisa gave her a flat look, and patted her hand in a condescending way. "Sibling, let me enlighten you to the Encyclopedia entry of 'quick', remarkable word, really."

Leni could smell the dripping sarcasm, but this was no time for pettiness. "Lisa, I'm serious ! This is the perfect chance to prove myself to Papy ! If I solve this maze thingy, he'll be super proud of me ! That way, I start something special between us, I convince him to, like, let us go, and then... and then..." Leni wandered away, lost into another drooling daydream. "I can already see the little white birds, and all the flowers, and the big chocolate cake..."

Her bubble was blown away by Luna's sharp whistle right into her ear. Also, probably her right eardrum. "Sorry dude, but you were in dreamtown again, and we still kinda need you here."

"But debatable on the whole puzzle solving schtick." quipped Lana, her tone reeking skepticality despite herself. "You know, I don't think Papyrus minds. I bet he's still super impressed by the way you knocked his puzzle down like a charging rhino !" she openly chuckled.

But while she had to admit it was true, 'good' wasn't exactly the term Leni would describe the event in her opinion. Good idea and happy ending, but the execution of it ? Leni's face turned beet red just thinking about it. "But that's not the me I want him to think about when he thinks about me ! I don't want to be a brute, I want to be charming and super smart ! Or, you know, average smart at least."

"Lisa, what you're about to say isn't nice or helpful in any way, is it ?" Lori raised awareness in the small genius as she opened her mouth. She closed it, and shook her head. "Then don't say it." was the eldest sister's firm order. She then turned to Leni, and adorned her supportive attitude once more. "Alright Leni, you can have the floor. Just, try to stay focused, and... yeah, just do that. Think Halloween Costume Stitching focused." Leni nodded fervently at that, and squinted her eyes at the puzzle. She was going to go through that maze like an old thimble. "And hey, there's no electric wall, or spikes surging from the floor if you get it slightly wrong." Lori laughed, before easing to a slightly suspicious stare, that she angled back to Papyrus. "There is nothing dangerous around that puzzle, right ?"

"OH NO, NO PUNISHMENT FOR A MISTAKE HERE, I CAN GUARANTEE IT ! I HAD THE IDEA FOR BLOWPIPES AND SLEEPING DARTS, BUT LESSER DOG WOULDN'T STOP PLAYING FETCH WITH THE DARTS. IT WAS A MESS. SO NOPE, NO PENALTY HERE ! ONLY SHAME !" reassured Papyrus. He then turned his attention back to Lily. "SO THEN, DID SHE GET BACK UP THAT GUTTER ?"

"Poo-poo !"

"AMAZING !"

Lori shook her head in mild amusement. If he was to capture them, then Toriel would have been right from the beginning, they'd really not stand a chance down here ! And he wanted to be part of the Royal Guard ? The _why_ still kind of eluded her, and the _how_ was getting further away the more time they spent knowing the guy ! Then again, looking back at the furry and greasy roster they had already encountered.

Eventually, Leni was given perimssion. "Alright, go crazy then. Just not too crazy." said Lori.

"Leave that to the professionals !" cracked Luan, giving Leni a hearty slap on the back.

But she barely flinched from it. She needed no encouragement, nor did she feel she needed any luck. Her SOUL was brimming with confidence, similar to the burst she had felt earlier, minus the tingling from the shocking orb. She was going to own this puzzle like she had owned that pesky granny at the Sales of '15, she could just feel it !

Suave and smart : those were the key words she was after. And she could poise them, no probs ! As she advanced, Leni couldn't help but love how invigorating her strut felt. Gosh, was this how Lola felt on stage ? Ready to own the world before snack time at 4 p.m. ? Wow, she should be trying that more often, it felt amazing !

' _This is gonna be easy as pie ! Sweet and quick !_ _**I'm going to do this ! I'M GOING TO-**_ '

The first X changed into an O under Leni's boot, and a heavy question suddenly plowed through the ditzy teen's mind like a brick through a beautiful strawberry shortcake. _Where to go next ?_ She hadn't forgotten the rules, mind you. She had assumed that there would be a precise path that would be leading her through every switch of the hunky-shaped maze, then back to the stone switch, spikes would fall, everyone would cheer, Papyrus would get on one knee, all that normal stuff.

But looking at it now, she didn't quite see that easy road. Basing it on her own maze experience – _which we already know the extent of –_ the paths she saw always seemed to get her to step on a switch twice ! But wait, was that even a bad thing ? All she remembered the sign saying, and vividly at that, was that she needed to turn every X into an O. Nothing about how many times she could step on a mark, or if it would make the puzzle fail.

But if that was the case, and she was not to get any penalty for that, then that meant she could take what ever way she jolly fancied taking. How could one call that a puzzle ? But then again, weren't most of the Underground challenges, like, super easy ? Made by dogs, who always liked to get pet, and one of them apparently could build stuff, and could dogs even be builders ?

All those questions were unravelling before poor Leni's eyes, and scrambling her thoughts like eggs being mixed by a very confusing whisk. Her confidence had evaporated into a woozy sensation, and her assurance into even more questions and doubt. Thankfully, she managed to get some hold of herself, and began processing the situation.

' _Okay, now's not the time to lose it, Leni._ ' she monologued internally. ' _You are in a quest for love, and you aren't going to get anything if you just stay put like a dummy from the discount section !_ ' Leni flinched at her own harsh words. ' _Sorry, just needed to let that one out. Anyway, the best solution is to just try. Like, if an error doesn't cost anything, then why not just risk it, and try again if we're wrong ?_ '

' _That's a wonderful idea ! Thanks, voice of me in my head !_ ' she jovially replied to herself, before raising an inquisitive eyebrow. ' _Wait, aren't you supposed to be a hamster ?_ '

' _Munchie break._ '

' _Oh._ ' And with that, Leni proceeded forward with a necessary ounce of precaution in her step. But she had no doubt she was making it look very elegant !

"Why is Leni walking like she has two peg legs and a rabbid raccoon on her back ?" Lynn wondered out loud, confused as all heck to Leni's slow and quivering march. Every step she took had a space of five seconds between each step, where Leni would put on a heavily-sweating expression of contemplation, wondering what had gone wrong in her life, and if she had truly lived it to the fullest.

"Maybe all the thinking is making her nervous. Behind the biggest smiles, hide the deepest anxieties." recited Lucy.

Lori scoffed at the ridiculous notion. "Leni doesn't have hidden fears, there is litteraly no one more transparent than Leni. She shrieks when she sees a spider, cries when she stubs her toe by the door, and drowns herself in fabric during every exam period." said the blonde without any sarcasm or hyperbole.

"Yeah, and it doesn't take a genius to see that she's just anxious to please you-know-who's-great." added Luna, jabbing a thumb behind her.

"ALL THE WAY TO THE MOON ?! GET OUT !" Papyrus gasped in apt shock.

"I would never lie about such a pivoting moment in man's history, and the conquest of space. But the moon was only the first step, and with the progress we have already made, I am positive we'll be able to establish a scientific base on the moon by the end of this half of the century." nodded Lisa, the pronounced hint of pride heavily suggesting who she thought would be able to make such a prowess happen.

"ASTOUNDING ! I ONLY HAVE ONE QUESTION... WHAT'S A MOON ?" Papyrus asked naively. Lisa's shoulders sagged in exhaustion, and in shame for not seeing this question unfold beforehand.

Lucy didn't give any answer, falling back to her usual moody silence. They were right, this was Leni they were talking about. Anybody could read into her like a book. An enjoyable book, but still a simple book without any hidden threads. The closest thing to a tragedy with her was her report card, and even then, she hadn't repeated even one year.

The young poet shook her head. If Leni's SOUL had any gashes, she was the Queen of England, and not the bloody one.

Meanwhile, Leni kept proceeding through the small maze, watching with growing anxiety a red circle appear beneath her boots' soles each time she made another step. All was good for now, she had already highlighted a good bunch of them, but she knew it wasn't going to last. The tension was driving up the walls, making her realise there weren't any walls, and thus making her even more nervous.

' _One foot after the other, no traps, one foot after the other, no traps..._ ' was the mantra she was chanting internally. It only ceased when she found a red circle before her comfy boot. Rock on her right, rock on her left, and another O switch behind her. She could try extending her foot to reach the piece of neutral ground at the switch's right, or even step above the rocks, but she feared it would mean foul play, and make her look like a fool in her beau's eyes.

That was it then, the moment of truth. The blonde steeled her spirit, and carried on.

She almost shrieked out of surprise when she saw a bright green triangle appear, making her jump backwards. Which in turn, sprouted another triangle, prompting her to back some more, and the motion went on. Panicked out of her wits, Leni fled through the exact way she had come in with a high-pitched scream, until she came back to her siblings.

"Leni, stop screaming ! You're fine, everyone's fine !" said Lincoln, attempting to calm his sister.

"Except for our eardrums !" complained Lola, her fingers desperately trying to plug-shield them.

"WHAT DID SHE SAY ?!" shouted Luan over the one-Leni ruckus.

Eventually, Leni managed to get a grip on herself, courtesy of Lynn stomping on her foot with studs. She pieced together what had happened during the last fifteen seconds, also why her voice was so sore, and her first instinct was to look back to the puzzle. She found in horror that Papyrus' beautifully displayed figure now had triangular pimples scattered all over it. She could feel them taunting her, even glowing as if to highlight the fact that this whole mess was her sole hazy doing. ' _Ditzy puzzle breaker~_ ' they chanted and laughed at her misery.

Leni too was glowing. A deep red blush of embarassement. There was no way she could save or find an excuse for a failure this loud and shameful. In defeat, she turned to Papyrus, but was unable to meet his gaze, which was probably full of disdain for the puzzle-failing human. "Sorry. I broke it." she murmured sorrowfully.

"BROKEN ? DO NOT FRET, HUMAN LENI ! YOU WERE NOT MEANT TO STEP TWICE ON THE SAME SWITCH, BUT THE PUZZLE IS FAR FROM BROKEN !" reassured the armoured monster. "HERE, LET ME SHOW YOU !" The Louds let Papyrus waltz through, and watched as he stomped the stone switch. In a _clic_ , all the triangles turned back into X's.

"Mercy be praised, they had the intelligence to put a reset option." Lisa sighed in deep relief.

"QUITE ! IF YOU EVER MESS UP, JUST DO AS I DID, AND TRY AGAIN !" explained Papyrus boisterously. He then approached the sagging sack of sadness named Leni at the moment, and threw a long bony arm around her shoulders. "AH, DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT THAT FAILED ATTEMPT. IT WAS STILL A GREAT ONE, YOU HAVE MY WORD ! NYEH HEH HEH !"

The proud laugh lifted Leni's spirits a little, but the harsh feeling of failure still plagued her mind. She gave a thankful nod to Papyrus, then retreated to the back, away from her beau's sight. There, she plopped her butt on the ground, and her chin on her knees, holding the heartcrushing look of a sad puppy. Her siblings looked at her curved form in great pity.

Luna came to sit by her side, and let her blond teary-eyed head rest on her shoulder. "There there, love. He still thinks you're amazing, don't worry. It was just a little goof, ain't the end of the world as you know it." she caressed her long hair soothingly, and gave her a little kiss on the forehead. Leni whimpered, but cut off the waterworks before they could start.

"It's true what they say. Love hurts." concluded Lincoln with a heavy heart. A very heavy one at that...

"She'll be fine." assured Lori, all too familiar with both Leni and sentimental problems. She sympathized with her, but knew this was no heartbreak, and moved on, knowing Leni would as well. "Okay, who wants to go next ?"

"Wa'k, wa'k !" babbled Lily, raising her hand.

"I think we've got ourselves a candidate." giggled Luan.

Lori hesitated for a second, a bit squirmish about letting the baby girl do this all alone. She didn't want any the sudden apparition of traps that Papyrus would have ' _FORGOT, OOPSIE, LITTLE POTATO HUMAN HAS BEEN FRIED, NYEH HEH HEH !_ '. But hey, Leni had already field-proofed it. And, if worst comes to pass, there was that neat little SAVE option, even if that would mean go a second time against the dog guards, Chilldrake, Ice Cap/Class, and... _that guy._

' _If I see him again, I'll... step on his foot. Twice ! And I'll make a trending status out of it !_ ' she plotted wickedly. She wasn't touching that FIGHT button now, was she ?

"YOU HAVE A VERY DISTURBING SMILE, BOSSY LORI !" quipped Papyrus earnestly, making her notice the malevolent smile she was currently sporting, suggesting she was about to steal Christmas away forever.

"Uh, nevermind that." she waved her hand dismissively. She then put her little sister down on the cold ground. "Well Lily, we're litteraly counting on you, so go !"

And off Lily went, under the cheers of her big brother and sisters, as well as one loud skeleton, who didn't want to be left out of the celebration. She felt as giddy as she could be. Her mission was to hit things, make other things appear magically, and all of that would help in their quest to go back to their home. Fun and getting the goal closer, how could it get any better than this ?!

 _And now, we offer you this poem as a little change of pace. Also, we've got complaints that this story was not litterary enough, if you can believe that. So here we go !_

 _A puzzle in sight, taking wobbling steps ahead,_

 _Little Lily had quite the task on her little head !_

 _But she didn't deter, nor did she frown._

 _She was gonna have a blast hitting the ground !_

 _First, before aiming for the lot,_

 _Better boop the nose, thought the tot._

 _Then, a gentle pat to the eye,_

 _The other one in a bit of time._

 _She ran along the jaw, highlighting a smile._

 _One that had the Great Papyrus' style !_

 _But she didn't stop there, and mounted to the top._

 _Passed along the top of his skull with a small hop._

 _The task was finished, all red and round !_

 _Better go around it to keep it safe and sound._

 _And so ended the grand task of little Lily._

 _And I think we all have learned here today._

 _A necessary action, so boring and mundane._

 _Few rhymes can spruce up the lot, wouldn't you agree ?_

 _(This chapter now possesses the Lucy seal of Poetic Quality. 'It'll be on your tombstone, I'll engrave it myself' she declared.)_

Back to her starting point, Lily sat on the stone switch, and the puzzle was declared solved by the long row of spikes bowing out down into the ground. Immediately, Lily was given triumphant congratulations.

"Lily, that was awesome ! You lighted all those O's like it was nothing !" cheered Lincoln, making her twirl in his arms.

"You weren't out of _shape_ , that's a given !" said Luan with a pat on her sister's head.

"Yeah, looks like that baby fat is all show. That was some fast work, trooper !" chuckled Lynn.

"And fast deducting. Younger sibling, I dare think my intelligence is starting to rub off on you. In any case, your effort was admirable." nodded Lisa, giving Lily a rare small hug, that she joyfully returned.

"Nicely done." monotoned Lucy with underlying compassion.

"I'm giving it a perfect 10 !" chirped Lola, bringing out said card. Still no explanation as to how.

"Let's give it up for Lily !" called Lana for the mile around to hear.

" _ **HIP-HIP, HURRAY ! HIP-HIP, HURRAY !**_ " chanted the kids, throwing Lily in the air like some kind of hero, to the great joy of the little girl herself. Lori couldn't fight a giggle from escaping, of which its slight embarrassement was drowned in mirth, as they were basically throwing a parade for the smallest of victories.

' _And here I thought we wouldn't be fitting right in._ '

At the back, still sitting down, two teens observed the celebration with varying expressions. Luna's was directly linked to the ongoing giddiness. "Heh, little dudette did a rockin' good job. Right Lens' ?"

Leni on the other hand didn't seem in a jolly mood at all, no matter how much she wanted to be. After progressively feeling better, she was was now back to square blues, as miserable-looking as she was before, with an added flare of defeat. It was one thing to fail a major task, certainly one that hurt. But to fail such a task, then watch your **baby** sister, who was still teething and wrapped in nappies, whoop up that task in fifteen seconds top like it was the easiest thing in the world...

That wasn't just wounding for Leni's ego, its whole fabric had just been torn appart into ugly little ribbons. And to add insult to injury, _HE_ had seen everything, and now knew that she was below toddler's puzzle-solving skillset.

' _Everyone already knows that._ ' she felt her inner self whisper to her ear, but it didn't belong to the fancy hamster or the supportive Mini-Leni. _Didn't mean that she didn't know it quite well..._

"YO, IS THE MIC ON IN THERE ?!" Luna's voice suddenly blasted through Leni's ear in Surround. Leni was rung back to reality, in more ways than one.

"Huh ?! What ?! Where's the termite invasion ?!"

"Dude, you were out of it again, but not exactly lookin' like you were dreaming about your monster prince. Everything okay ?" asked Luna, her brow crinkled in deep concern, a normal reaction towards a sad Leni.

The blonde usually wasn't one to keep secrets – _A fact I'm pretty sure most of you are aware of_ – but she knew that complaining about that sort of unimportant stuff wouldn't get them anywhere, it would just waste time for everybody. So, with a forced smile, she discarded the notion. "S-Sure I am ! Just a little sad I couldn't do it myself, but whatever. A win's a win, and Lily totes deserved it, like, am I right ?"

That grin wasn't 100% genuine, the rocker could tell, but it didn't look like she was really lying. The hints of that would have been much more noticeable, and she was meeting her gaze without any shyness. Still, Luna decided to poke the bush just one last time, "Are you sure you're alright ? Remember what we said about secrets, dude."

"N-Nope, just still feeling a bit under the weather. Which is weird, because there's no cloud up there." she remarked with a tighter smile.

"...Yeah, I guess you're right." shrugged Luna, dropping the charges. Bringing herself on her two feet, she adressed one last wink to Leni. "No reason to feel shy or down, I think he likes you better when you have that sweet smile of yours."

Leni watched Luna go with renewed warmth in her SOUL. She could still feel disappointment tugging at it, but it felt more like a weak pinch now. And she could live with that ! Sticks and stones couldn't reach her heart, or else it would be gruesome !

With that slightly unsettling thought in mind, Leni resolved herself on her feet. Luna was absolutely right. She could still shine in her Papyrus' eyes, and the trek towards the Surface wasn't over. Everything was still great, nothing to mull about right now ! And to alleviate her spirits even further, she caught with the group just in time to hear her beloved speak again.

"BRAVO, HUMANS ! YOU SOLVED THAT PUZZLE SO EASILY, AND WITHOUT EVEN ASKING ME FOR A CLUE !" Papyrus clapped enthusiastically.

"Yep, looks like we aren't in the doghouse yet, huh ?" said Lynn with a cocky tone, reveling in the collective victory.

"IT SEEMS NOT. NEITHER THIS PUZZLE OR MY SPAGHETTI TRAP COULD STOP YOU, THAT IS QUITE THE ACHIEVEMENT. BE PROUD, BUT DON'T CELEBRATE JUST YET ! YOU ARE STILL IN THE WOODS AND I'M NOT OUT OF IDEAS !" the monster taunted knowingly. "THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL BE QUITE SPECIAL, AND IT'LL TAKE MORE THAN ONE HEAD TO GET PAST IT EFFICIENTLY ! OR COULD THAT BE THE REASON OF YOUR LOSS ? I WONDER..." His tone betrayed him. He didn't wonder, he _knew._

But the kids didn't feel insulted nor threatened, but instead excited at the prospect of a challenge, and of the fact he was starting to take them seriously. They knew their quest had the traits of a game, but they were finding themselves to actually have fun here, despite the numerous threats against their lives and the haunting image of a murderous flower that wouldn't go away.

Lincoln met Papyrus' gaze with a certain bravado, his SOUL alight with **Determination**. "Trust me, we'll make that number thing work. We always make it work." he spoke confidently.

"Yeah ! Eleven's been our lucky number for a while, and it's not gonna stop now !" qupped Lola, using her brother's backpack as a footboard to crawl onto his shoulder.

"More heads equal more brains, it's a fact !" added Lana, now perched on Lincoln's other shoulder. The boy's cheeks were starting to get red.

"Honestly, when it comes to our profiles, this is a debate the very local scientific community is still debating." Lisa said dryly, popping out from behind her brother's head.

"Back... in pain ! Going... down !" cried Lincoln, his weight capacity all but obliterated, and sending him to the ground below.

"Sorry." "Sorry bro." "Deepest apologies."

Lincoln sigh-groaned. So much for sending a message.

"Well, I think you got our point." said Luna, attempting to salvage the sorry display.

"IT'S SETTLED THEN ! I'LL BE UP AHEAD, SETTING THE PUZZLE OFF !"

Lori's ears burned at the small grammatical error. "Don't you mean, setting it _on_ ?" _She really hoped it was an error._

"AH, YOU'RE RIGHT, SETTING IT ON !" realised Papyrus. Sighs of relief. "SETTING THE PUZZLE OFF MIGHT BE FOR LATER THOUGH !" Relief gone. "POINT IS, YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE AWAITS YOU, BUT IT AWAITS ME FIRST ! DARE CONTINUE, HUMANS ! NYEH ! HEH HEH ! HEHEHEH !" he cackled loudly, before sprinting into the distance.

"For you, I'll dare socks and sandals." Leni sighed dreamingly, admiring his smooth running with a sweet smile.

"What do you think he meant by special ?" asked Luan, quite _puzzled_ by the use of this term.

"As long as it's not some ninja parkour with spears coming out of the ground, a quiz with flamethrowers, or something along that jazz, it should be fine." sighed Lincoln, in bliss over the back-repairing massage Lynn was giving him. Those knuckles could send you to heaven as much as they could send you crashing against a wall.

"The ninja parkour sounds fun." said Lynn, starting to fantasize herself doing it, with explosive soccer balls added to the mix.

"Are you okay, Leni ?" asked Lucy of all people, though it was unsure if she was expecting a positive or negative answer.

Uneasiness came back to tug at Leni's mind, feeling all the stares focused on her. But she knew which cards she needed to play to minimise worry.

"My Papy is running off again, so of course I feel a little bummed." 'sighed' Leni, trying to even the edge in her voice to not sound suspicious. "Tell you what, we should go to him, and totes forget I ever looked sad in the right place, because there's NOTHING to talk about that !"

"...Sounds like a plan to me !" said Lana. Everyone chimed in agreement.

' _NAILED IT !_ '

The kids stepped around the grinning puzzle, and were ready to cross the row of spikes, before they suddenly noticed the other end of the bare-boned duo, still looking extra lazy.

"heya kiddos." greeted Sans. "nice work on that puzzle, baby loud. didn't even need my help, which is perfectly okay with me."

"Yep, Lily did everything !" chirped Lynn, before catching onto a weird detail off the skeleton's praise. "Hey, wait a minute, how do you know Lily did it ? You weren't even there."

"of course i was. i was just standing there, watching the whole thing."

"Nuh-uh ! We would've seen you !" argued Lola.

"can you prove you didn't see me ?" grinned Sans, flipping the interview around.

Weirdly enough, Lola didn't have any counter-argument. She had a feeling eleven eyewitnesses was something that sack of bones would be easily able to spin around. How could someone that lazy could be that clever ?! She was starting to see what Papyrus meant.

Lola crossed her arms and pouted. " _No..._ "

"guess that makes me a free monster. though loaning me for birthday parties is still well above your budget.." he winked cheekily.

The younglings grunted at the pun-offer, while Luan snorted and returned the wink. Loaning someone for a birthday party, that was a good one ! Services, yes, but someone ? Like, asking them to hide in a cake, then come out in a special suit, covered in cake batter, and...

…It was particularly cold today. Yes. That had to be the reason the comedienne was conjuring up so many _frisky_ dreams about a certain emo. Body reaction. She felt sweltering all over. Yep, much better.

"well, i'd love an update, but i can hear my bro being ready with his next puzzle. and I don't think he can wait another hour." suggested Sans, waving his invisible eyebrows.

"Good point." nodded Lori, signaling her siblings to carry on. But before they went all the way, she adressed one last suspicious look to Sans. "You know, I didn't see you either..."

"i'm all white. i blend easily with the snow." was Sans' half-baked explanation.

"Yeah..." drawled Lori, in a tone that indicated she would be watching him a little closer than before. That look was supported by Lisa, who despite not saying a thing, was the most suspicious of them all. As they departed, Lily poked her head over her oldest sister's shoulder, and playfully made a shushing sound.

Sans' smile widened, and he returned the gesture with a sly wink.

* * *

"WHAT ?! B-But he was- and he- how did he- _WHAT ?!_ "

Lisa's cries of pure confusion had nothing to do with what the new area had to offer : A small platform at first, linked to a wider path with a single exit at the end, and about 80% of it covered with a checkered tiled floor, with different shades of grey. It also had nothing to do with the strange machine next to Papyrus, which ressembled a large dark grey calculator with four dials on its front, and a rusty brown grid screen. And it certainly had nothing to do with Papyrus himself, standing on the other end of the floor, looking as peppy as ever.

But it had everything to do with his brother standing _right next to him._

"GREETINGS, HUMANS ! THE PUZZLE YOU SEE BEFORE YOU-"

" **CEASE THIS NONSENSE AT ONCE !** " roared Lisa, taking her siblings by surprise, leaving Papyrus a tad bemused but still grinning, and Sans as himself. "Papyrus, I apologise for the interruption, but I will _NOT have this clear offense to logic itself fly above our craniums, not this time !_ " She turned her scorning gaze to the accused, imagining handcuffs on his hands so he'd stop nonchalantly putting them in his pockets like nothing was wrong. _BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS WRONG RIGHT NOW !_ "How are you here ?! How in Aristotle's woolly beard are you here right this instant ?!"

"i'm not lazy enough to stop being." he answered.

 **HE DARED ?! THAT LAZY POTATO SACK OF BURGERS AND BAD JOKES DARED MAKE A FOOL OUT OF HER ?! _THE NERVE ! THE GALL !_**

"What I think she means," continued Lori, watching Leni and Lynn keeping a strong and soothing grip on Lisa, who was starting to produce rageful foam by her mouth, "is how in heck did you get past us ?!"

"Yeah, you were just-" Lincoln halted himself when he saw the empty spot where Sans had been just a couple of seconds ago. But it was TOO empty to the young white-haired sleuth. The snow, which sported all of their footprints, including Papyrus', didn't have a single slipper mark left in it. He knew Sans was all bones, but he couldn't weigh nothing !

"Alright, what the hoo-ha's going on here ?" Luna asked pointedly. Her critical eye was shared by a good chunk of the myriad of siblings, who weren't buying the normalcy of Sans appearing where he pleased to be either.

"what's up ?"

"You are up ! Up with something weird ! How did you move from there to there ?!" Lana mimicked the motion exageratedly.

"i walked."

"That quickly ?!" countered Lynn.

"i ran."

" ** _Without the singlest eyewitness, wind friction, or sound of you running ?!_** " thundered Lisa, her whole body twitching erratically.

"you blinked. all at the same time. you're weird." Sans' smile didn't waver, but they could feel the sneakiness oozing out of it.

"Your testimony is full of holes, and that smile isn't buying you any favours. You're up for it, buster." Constable Lucy pressed charges, divided between her curiosity for the mystical action implied, and the returning frustration of him dodging a label she had been tagged with since she had learned how to crawl.

"buster ? i don't see how i broke any rules. maybe a vestimentary code or two, but that's about it." Leni found herself partly agreeing with that claim. Those slippers were just too tacky, it sent goosebumps down her neck. "now, i think there's a puzzle in need of solving, right bro ?" Sans nudged his head in his brother's direction.

Alarms blared inside Papyrus' skull, who had been watching the debate intently with a bucket of popcorn in his hand. Sniffing the air, Lana could've sworn there was the smell of meatballs coming from it. Immediately, his pose straightened up, and the hazardous treats were thrown in the abyss below.

"THAT'S RIGHT, BACK TO OUR PUZZLES ! NO TIME FOR UNIMPORTANT DISTRACTIONS !"

"But-" Lisa tried to argue how crucial this answer was compared to a small mind game, but stopped when she felt Lori's hand brush her shoulder. The Loud leader shook her head with a haggard look. The message was clear. ' _It's not worth the headache_ '. Until they got something good on him, he was going to keep making them run in circles. Lisa understood, no matter how reluctantly, and dropped the subject, but did not let it stray too far away from her immediate memory. She would be picking it up later...

"NOW, AS I SAID TO YOU BEFORE, THIS IS QUITE THE SPECIAL PUZZLE." said Papyrus, demonstrating the tiled floor. "IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT **DOCTOR ALPHYS !** SHE IS VERY SMART, AND THUS VERY NERDY ! SO THIS WILL BE QUITE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY BE CONFRONTED TO !"

Lynn hopped mad on one foot, holding onto the aching other. She sent a glare towards Lori, who mimicked looking away innocently, but betrayed that with a small smirk tugging at her lips. Geez, she hadn't meant to snicker, no need to steamroll her toes !

"BUT DO NOT WORRY, HUMANS !" Papyrus picked up a piece of paper previously taped to the strange mechanism. "I HAVE HERE A SET OF SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS ! READY YOUR EARS, IT IS QUITE LENGTHY !"

' _How can it be simple AND lengthy ?_ ' wondered Lincoln. He could feel a shrug from the back of his mind, asking him to just roll with it, as always.

"Ready when you are, skeletal captor." signaled Lisa, pen in hand, and a hint of annoyance still present.

"HERE WE GO THEN !" claimed Papyrus, and started to read. "THE FLOOR YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU IS A COLOURED TILE MAZE ! WELL, WILL BE ONCE I BOOT IT UP ! EACH TILE HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTIONALITY ! **RED** TILES ARE FORBIDDEN, YOU CAN'T WALK ON THEM, NO MATTER WHAT ! **YELLOW** TILES ARE ELECTRIFIED, AND WILL ZAP YOU IF YOU TRY TO WALK ON THEM ! TO AVOID, THEN ! **GREEN** TILES MAKE A BELL SOUND, AND WILL SUMMON A RANDOM MONSTER FOR YOU TO FIGHT ! THINKING **AND** ACTION, HOW EXCITING ! **BLUE** TILES ARE WATER TILES, WHICH YOU CAN GO ACROSS WITHOUT ISSUE, BUT NOT IF YOU CROSS AN **ORANGE** TILE BEFOREHAND, FOR THEY SMELL LIKE ORANGES, WHICH THE PIRHANAS ADORE FEASTING ON ! FURTHERMORE, IF A BLUE TILE IS RIGHT NEXT TO A YELLOW TILE, THE WATER WILL ALSO BE ELECTRIFIED, SO BEWARE OF THAT ! **PURPLE** TILES ARE COVERED IN SOAP, AND ARE THUS QUITE SLIPPERY, LEADING YOU DIRECTLY TO THE NEXT TILE, OR OFF-LIMITS ! UM, WATCH YOUR STEP WITH THOSE ONES. BUT HEY, STEPPING ON ONE WILL COVER YOUR BODY WITH LAVENDER SCENT ! IT USED TO BE LEMONS, BUT WE RAN OUT OF THEM DURING THE LEMONADE BELDAM OF LAST FRIDAY, A FUNNY STORY. AND PIRHANAS HATE LAVENDER ! PURPLE THEN BLUE IS GOOD ! AND FINALLY, THE **PINK** TILES ! NO EFFECT. AT ALL. YOU CAN STEP ON THEM AS MUCH AS YOU WANT ! DID YOU GET ALL THAT ?!"

"Geez, whoever is that Alphys, she went through the whole friggin' rainbow." commented Luna in mild amusement. "Why not throw in some Turquoise, Maroon, and off-white while she's at it ?"

"OOO, I'LL HAVE TO COMISSION HER THAT NEXT TIME ! MAYBE TURQUOISE CAN MAKE YOU SING A SONG ! NYEH HEH HEH !" said Papyrus as he hastily wrote out the idea on the verso of the rule set. Luna wasn't sure whether to laugh or sigh. There was no sense of irony with that bloke.

Luna chose to laugh at that. ' _Blimey, could he be ANY more perfect for her ?_ '

"How can there be pirhanas in there if it's shallow enough for us to walk on it ?" questionned Luan, scratching the side of her earmuffs.

"I think the better question here would be ' _Why are there pirhanas in the first place ?_ ' !" said Lola.

"Who knows ? No need to _snap_ at it, hahaha !" she chortled.

"Why do we even tell you things ?" sighed Lola, rubbing her eyes.

"Ugh, I hope we can avoid the orange tiles. If it's not a blood orange, then I don't want its smell anywhere near me." said Lucy with heavy disdain for the healthy fruit.

"I hear you there, although _I_ hope we'll avoid the purple ones." grumbled Lana with an irritated frown. "Of all the soapy smells in the world, he just HAD to pick Icky Lavender !"

"I have a question !" Leni hovered her hand in the air to press her demand.

"YEEEES ?"

"What do **Grey** tiles mean ?" Her question prompted an orchestra of moans and palms slapping the respective foreheads in C minor.

"IT USUALLY MEANS THAT THE PUZZLE IS TURNED OFF !" chirped Papyrus without a hint of sarcasm.

"O-Oh ! Thank you !" blurted out Leni, soon switching back to her dreaming smile. "He's so smart..."

"That's up for debate- _Gah, would you stop that ?!_ " growled Lynn, holding her other foot.

"Whatever do you mean ?" purred Lori in faux innocence.

" _Don't you pull a Sans on me !_ "

Lisa cleared her throat audibly, rising awareness of her findings. "If it's anyone's interest, which it should, I have indeed finished to transcribe the set of guidelines given by our monster acquiantance."

"Nice job." nodded Lincoln.

"Yeah, super nice job, Lisa !" repeated Leni with a much more excited tone. However, the gentle pat she meant to deliver on her sister's back packed a wee bit too much strength. This made Lisa jolt, and let the little leaflet she had taken out of her notepad flutter away in the obscurity down below. The underaged genius lost no time to adress a most pointed glare to the teen, who chuckled sheepishly. "Uh, heh heh. Oopsie ?"

Lisa sighed irksomely. "Let us be thankful that I have an excellent photographic memory. But maybe you'd like to chuck me away too ?" she prodded snidely. Leni shrunk away like a shy little mouse. She knew it was still the annoyance towards Sans' schtick talking, but it still hurt.

"Alright, break it up you two." intervened Lori, digging an invisible line between the two life opposites. Lisa sobered a little, but still looked quite moody, while Leni looked away sadly. She patted both of their backs with firm compassion, then turned to the monster brothers, and nodded. "We're ready."

Papyrus' eye twinkled. "THEN LET'S NOT WASTE ANY MORE TIME !" he said, turning to the machine. However, before he could start tweaking with the dials, he thought to adress one last thing. "OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU ! THIS PUZZLE... IS COMPLETELY RANDOM ! EVEN **I** DON'T KNOW WHAT IS COMING UP ! SO GET READY !"

"Alright, here we go." spoke Lynn, welcoming the little tension that had been added to the whole thing. Colours flashed up to life across the checkered floor, starting to display different patterns. Some made the kids' spines rattle with chills, with big splashes of yellow here, a wall of red there, puddles of green, and even an entire floor of deep purple.

Okay, that last one only made one Loud tremble. But as the humming of the machine got louder and faster, like a quickening drumroll, every eye and eyesocket was turned to the future dancefloor. Some were taking in the pretty colours with wide eyes, while others were kept on tenterhooks for the challenge ahead. Papyrus naturally was one of those people, every second adding a centimeter to the widening of eyeholes, while Sans, chesire smile still nailed to his face, seemed to gain a small degree of interest to it.

The colours were now flashing at a seizure-worth speed. It wouldn't be long now, any second the path would appear. Would it be like a walk in the park ? Or would it spell doom for the humans ? Heck, would it ACTUALLY spell doom ? That would certainly be an impressing feat. But that answer, that heart-pumping outcome, nobody knew of.

No one in this area anyway.

And... **_it stopped._** The humming was cut short, and the puzzle appeared.

…

…

* _You feel... very underwhelmed._

"Um..." said Lincoln, tilting his head to the side.

"It's kinda... straightforward." hesitated Luna.

"I'm truly starting to see a pattern appear here." cut Lisa, massaging her forehead.

"I don't know you guys, but that puzzle doesn't seem very... puzzle-ey." quipped Lola. "I'm liking the colour choice though !"

"Urk, speak for yourself." cringed Lucy in apt disgust.

And what else could have the certainty to earn Lola's colour seal of approval, than a nice overabbundance of **pink**. Not hot pink though, or Lucy wouldn't _just_ be sticking her tongue out.

Such was the random pattern the floor chose to become : A corridor of pink, flanked by two walls of red on the sides, acting as barriers from the gaping holes there. Non content of being easy, the puzle was also as safe as it could possibly be.

"Forget a walk in the park. At least parks have bumblebees and wayward frisbees !" commented Lynn, not sure if what she was seeing was more on the funny or the disappointing side.

"I know what you mean." nodded Lori, busy scratching the top of her head. "I feel like I should be glad nothing happened, and yet..."

"What ? Are you still seeing _red_ flags over this ?" cracked Luan. As everyone around her groaned, she took notice of the puzzle master's demanour. "Does Papyrus seem a little tense to you guys ?"

While his eyesockets were back to normal, Papyrus' smile was still stretched, but no longer glowing. It seemed stiff, frozen in place. His sight still rested on the puzzle, if he could still call it that. He then looked at the Louds with the exact same face, blinked at them without saying a word, and gazed at the bichromal floor again. He spared a glance at his brother, then back to the floor. Then, still as silent as a grave, Papyrus slowly spun out of the area.

"Well, that wasn't weird at all." Lori commented sarcastically.

"Poor guy, this whole thing was probably too awkward for him, so he had nothing else to add." said Lana, feeling a little bad for the not-so-full-of-flare skeleton.

"I can understand why he didn't run. You can't run from your failures." recited Lucy, her melodrama senses on high alert as always.

"Papy..." Leni murmured, her eyes comically bulged with tears at the mere notion of her skeleton sweetheart feeling even thinly somber. If not for Rule Number 3 of the Loud Underground Code, she would already be running after him and scooping him into a reconforting hug, or help him with some comfort cooking.

"Well, bust or no bust, the highway's open for us, brah. Not much flare about it, but still a little victory for the humans, right ?" acknowledged Luna with a little grin.

The kids agreed with this, going forward was still priority number one. Besides, they had a feeling that this wasn't Papyrus' final effort to get them, so he still had a chance to prove himself. Not that they'd let themselves get trapped just to please him.

They trudged along the pink tiles, with the orange SOULed girls feeling a little daredevil and trying to touch the red ones. Their snowy boots bounced against invisible walls, and were forced to leave it at that. Once they were on the other side, it was Lisa who was now on the warpath.

"So, mind filling us in about the little skit that was pulled on us about three minutes and twelve seconds ago ? Your honesty on the subject would also be most appreciated." hissed Lisa, her foot drumming on the floor with clear frustration and a thirst for answers.

Sans observed the angry little genius with great amusement. He could see the wrinkles sprouting on her little face, something he didn't think was possible at such a young age. The others also had their expecting glances boring into his skull, with some more suspicious than others. Aww, they thought they could get clearance on that kind of info about him.

Now there was a good joke he could applaud.

"i have no idea what you're talking about." answered Sans in a goofy tone.

Lisa's brow creased with such acrimony, an angry face seemed to appear on it. "The gig is up, comedian."

"you seem pretty _down_ about it."

(* _Rimshot_ *)

"...Let me put this into simple words I know you can understand just as much as the complex ones, but that unlike them, you will not be able to twist at your advantage." Lisa articulated, trying to keep the lid on the brimming wrathful kettle inside her, which pression levels were skyrocketing every second she tried keeping this conversation from taking a sharp turn to Lazyburg. "You were right there behind us, we saw you, we interracted with you, you were _there._ Then, as we got to the next area, you suddenly vanished from that point A, to appear here, at point B, without any sign that proved you moved forward. You claim to have ran, but brushing aside that eleven children, a lot of them being very perceptive, did not see nor hear you, the background given to us does limit the belief into you being capable **_of_** running."

"ouch, cold." said Sans, not even bothering to sound offended.

" **Furthermore** ," pressed Lisa, irked at being cut off, "when asked about it, you prove evasive and all too wishful of alleviating the tension with a pun. Suspicious, and not fooling anyone. Or at the very least, not fooling my self. So let me ask you, for the very last time, with no 'hee-hee' or 'ha-ha' to be had; **HOW did you get yourself here so fast ?** "

Lisa's glowering look, stronger than the laser she was still in the process of patenting, would've been enough to strike as much cold terror in those who knew what she was capable of, than it would've in those who knew diddly-squat about her. A normal sttranger would've already been spilling the beans right about now.

 _But Sans was none of those suckers._

"i know a shortcut." he replied truthfully. Indeed, he had not lied, not by a mile. But the little brunette didn't know that, and that was perhaps the funniest thing about her reddening face.

Crimson from the tip of her toes to the edge of her ears and the kettle in shambles, Lisa surprisingly folded her arms behind her back in a calm fashion, and adressed the group's supreme-ish authority. "Eldest sibling-"

" _No._ " Lori cut flatly.

"I wasn't even allowed-"

"You are not torturing him to get your answers. He's an ally, and we're not losing that."

"Sister, this is for the greater good of science !"

"If he doesn't want to talk, that's his right."

"He's being very obnoxious about it !"

"I don't care."

"Just a slipper or two, I'm not asking-"

" **NO. Final decision. Put a sock in it.** " Lori cut short. Lily furthered the claim by bringing her squeaky gavel down on her roommate's head, not leaving any trace, but indeed leaving the case to rest.

Oh, the things Lisa wanted to say to that, but she knew better than either provoke the ire of the eldest Loud child, or the tears of the youngest. As such, she opted for a silent protest in the form of the hardest pout she could muster. Not even the gentle caress of her brother's hand across her back could make a dent in it.

"You know, if you don't want to talk about it, you could just say it." said Lincoln, sharing the feeling of unquenched curiosity ever so slightly.

"sorry, it's just too tempting to mess with you. we don't get new faces that often." he admitted with a small chuckle.

"With how many faces we've seen in the last two hours, that's a bit surprising." quipped Lana.

Sans' permanent smile gained a wistful edge, small enough to be unnoticed physically, but loud enough in his tone when you knew the punny skeleton for a grand total of three hours. "down here, it's pretty easy to know everybody." The kids' expressions fell slightly hearing that, but Sans was quick to regain his energy, if you could call it that. "i've gotta say though, you kiddos have been coming around quite nicely for a bunch who doesn't know the joint."

The kids tried to not appear flattered, especially the miffled brainiac herself, but ultimately failed. "Shucks, we're doing our best, as always." said Lynn, dusting her sleeves in a totally not cocky manner.

"And looking at the path, it's kinda hard to get lost. Big gaping holes are kind of an obvious ' _Maybe don't walk this way_ ' sign." chortled Luan, her mirth reflected to her by Sans' wink full of respect.

"The locals are making it really fun too !" chirped Leni, reminiscing herself of the dangerous yet fun times they had dealing with the whacky monsters, and the weird friendships they were striking. A memory of wi-fi and nacho chips did make her slightly flinch out of it. "Well, almost all of them."

"my bro too, i bet ?"

Leni's expression immediately melted to a lovey-dovey grin. "Totes." she pratically drooled maple syrup, her mind felt so sweet.

"Your brother is a really sweet chap. He cares about you a mighty lot." said Luna, returning the slyness in due form. It somewhat made the mark. His perpetual smile was still up and mighty, but if he thought he could hide those two teensy spots of blue hue painted across his boney cheeks, he was sorely mistaken.

"heh, of course he cares. my bro's the coolest there is." sighed Sans, the fondness in his tone warming a couple of SOULs.

But while Lola fully agreed that Papyrus was a very cool dude, a fun guy to be around, and all around a real sweetheart, she felt the need to rev up something the narcissistic skeleton _wasn't_ so good at. "Yeah, but he could use a few cooking lessons." piped the little princess, feeling a bit nauseous.

A wave of cringe and queasiness splashed against the humans' minds; cringe over Lola's bluntness, and queasiness over their collective memory of the Spaghetti Purgatory they had been unfortunate enough to witness.

Dear gosh, they could still smell it, despite the fact that they never had in the first place. And thank Toriel for that !

"Sorry if it's too direct, but your brother's sauce ? It was the stuff of nightmares. And I know my nightmares." shuddered Lucy.

"And his pasta looked like a mutant ball of tumbleweed, if that make any sense." added Lynn. Part of her mind still wondered if even she could've been daring enough to put it in her mouth, but her whole brain agreed, she wouldn't have liked either outcome.

"But hey, it's okay, really. Everyone has bad days." said Lincoln apologetically.

"Yeah, once I mistook my lunchbox for my toolbox, and I flooded the entire school basement trying to fix a snag in the pipework with a PB&J sandwidch, and a couple of carrot bits." Lana recollected with a small awkward blush.

But if the lazybone felt insulted, he was doing a poor job showcasing it. "actually, that was probably one of his best attempts yet."

Consternation fell on the children with the heft of a grand piano. _Greasy prankster say WHAT ?!_ That pot of wretched muckiness, drowned in Death's drool, and a garnish of poison ivy ; a creation so vile, so alarming to all the senses, it belonged to an experimental horror movie set ; that, was what could be considered one of Papyrus' BEST attempts ?! Teeth clattered in fear at imagining the unthinkable.

"If that was his top work... then what does his w-w-worst look like ?" Lori almost stuttered, hugging Lily for comfort. Her mind was busy trying to destroy the swarm of horrendous pictures popping up right out her imagination, pictures of butchered meals _litteraly_ crawling out of the kitchen to pounce on unsuspecting bystanders.

Sans' faraway gaze and omnious silence did nothing to appease the Louds' worst expectations. He knew things, things they weren't supposed to know, that they didn't _want_ to know. But just like that, it disappeared under his goofy smile. "don't worry about it. besides, he's been making real progress lately. by next year, he just might make something edible."

The small jab elected a few chuckles around, and worries were put to rest. For now. Besides, there were other matters the chubby monster owned them to answer. "Oh yeah, while we're on the subject of your brother, we'd like to know why you gave him those dumb nicknames of yours." Lincoln probbed sourly.

Sans gave a shrug of trademark nonchalance. "he was already really warming up to you. i thought i'd let him in the secret."

"But why did you tell him those were our actual names ?!" pressed the boy.

"'cause they were spot on. he believed them, didn't he ?"

"That's- ! Okay, fair enough. But seriously, _Snow White_ ?" Lincoln pointed to his scalp incredulously.

"you can't go wrong with the classics." replied the monster, patting the sole brother's head, who sighed in defeat.

"Yeah ? What about _Speedy_ ?" asked Lynn, the little growl in her voice being a pure coincidence.

"are you saying you ain't fast ?" replied Sans, making the sports girl reconsider her position. She supposed that a hound was pretty fast. Or maybe a wolf ! Yeah, that was something she could roll with.

" _Moony ?_ " Luna raised a brow.

"rocker at heart, rocker at night, right ?" Sans finger-gunned. Luna rolled her eyes, but let that little grin appear. He had her there.

"Heh, _Sunshine ?_ Sans, you rapscallion." Luan giggled cheekily.

"i know a beaming smile when i see it. plus hey, moony and sunshine. perfect roommate theme." he winked. Smiles graced the artistic duo's faces, as he was making an excellent point.

"What about _Skippy ?_ " Lana heatedly demanded.

"Yeah, or _Sparkles ?_ Do I look like a horse to you ?!" grumbled Lola, her nostrils flaring with anger.

"horse ? i just thought you had the face of a kid who loves everything that shines. and you look like a kid who can fit twenty acorns in her mouth." Sans nodded 'firmly'. The twins' eyes widened, and both blondes whipped around with a pout. Oh sure, if he was wringing the right heartstrings.

"Mine is fine, sorta, but _Potato ?_ " Lori pointed at her little sister.

"a pretty sweet potato." Sans booped her nose, making Lily giggle adorably. She made another shushing sound, and Sans returned a wink. "thanks, kiddo."

" ** _Gloomy McGloomface ? Really ?_** " Lucy suddenly made her reclamation in a bitter and nose-nipping tone, pushing aside her siblings to stand nose-to-... um, eye-to-... _forehead-to-forehead_ with the nickname dealer.

"...okay, that one was just really funny right on the go. i've got zero excuse." confessed Sans, his protuberant gut shaking with hilarity, which was proving contagious. Lucy though, wasn't in the mood for a laugh. Not that she was most of the time, but the drought in her gut right now was without previous compare. Her glare was becoming cold enough to transform Sans into a blue popsicle, which was frankly what she was hoping to accomplish.

"alright alright, not a fan ? how about _thursday_ ?" Lucy's fists tightened. " _countess choculette_ ?" The teeth appeared, ready for a bite worthy of her mystical peers. Sans made his skeletal fingers snap. "got it ! _raven !_ "

Lucy's bloodthirsty instincts were quelled at the right second. "Raven ?" she repeated, tasting the name. Sour and dark, yet swift and cool. She liked that.

"shady, mysterious, always a feather in the dark arts, and plenty of those to write down dark thoughts. what d'you say ?" Sans offered, his friendly tone a little more genuine. Then it got right back to jokester norm. "of course, we can keep going with _McGloomface_."

"Bats are more of my thing, but Raven is fine." Lucy nodded, her monotone betrayed by two feeling stretches ; pride in her new nickname, and a hidden warning of ' _You get to live another day, comedian_ '. Sans took it as a neat bonus.

"Hey, why don't I have a nickname ?" asked Leni, quite a bit upset about not being invited to the funny name party.

"Uh, why do you even want one ?" Lola asked incredulously.

"Because it sounds fun ! I wanna see what he comes up for me !" she chirped.

Expecting a nickname from him, after the ones he dropped for her siblings ? Those kids were getting weirder every minute. And Sans was liking it. Still, he felt like he needed to play his cards right here. From what he had seen, and heard, blondie over here was a sensitive one. He doubted she could really get angry, but she could be upset. And then the others would be angry, and that'd just be a mess.

Not to mention, things were warming up between her and his bro quite nicely. Lazy he certainly was, but he wasn't insensitive. He couldn't mess that up ; not until they'd get on the couch and he'd present her Papy's baby pictures. He certainly had done his homework on that one.

' _nickname, nickname. play it smart, sans, it's gotta be clever, but nice enough to avoid any kind of hassle._ ' Sans brainstormed, an activity not as uncommon as people liked to think. Hand polishing his lower jaw, he cracked an eye open to catch the gentle blonde's glimmering look and small smile of anticipation. All too reminding of Papyrus while he'd been waiting for his scarf to be sewed.

' _let's see, what's her profile this far ? she's nice, she's perky, and she has a look that kills. those puppy eyes are a menace._ ' he shuddered. 's _he's also... not very smart. not stupid either, that's for sure. naive ? candid ? dim on certain ends ? eesh, no good material here. you're losing your touch, buddy. But what benign name can you give a hazy young... hazy... kinda sounds like... but can I dare ?_ ' The memory of a wickedly childish laughter ignited his non-existant blood, but he kept it in check. He always did. ' _she's worth it. besides, if i hesitate, it'll give_ ** _him_** _way too much pleasure for my liking. which is any._ '

"Wow, he's thinking really hard about it. I didn't think he could do that." murmured Lana, understandable seeing her knowledge of the lazy sentry.

"He's a crafty fellow, we know that now." returned Lisa with a whisper made from an odd cocktail of haughtiness and grumbling, making the both of them turn their backs on Sans. "Just because his Surface 'cousins' lack any cerebellum, does not mean he's unfit to use his."

"or ears for that matter." Sans' voice slithered across their shoulders. The two young girls nearly leaped out of their winter garments at the skeleton's sudden apparition, but Lisa immediately spotted the footsteps in the snow. This was just a lack of attention on her part, which was already pretty embarrassing. "you weren't badmouthing me, were ya ?" Sans raised a smooth eyebrow, seemingly reading them. ' _Pointdexter_ ' and ' _Skippy_ ' hastily shook their heads, which prompted an affectionate hat ruffle from the friendly guard. "good girls."

"Did you find my name ? I mean, like, my other name ?" asked Leni, barely holding the small squeal of excitement that begged to be released.

"sure do, _daisy_."

Mixed reactions immediately betrayed the Louds' thoughts : Some were finding it cute, while others were making gagging faces. But a core pattern could be found through those two expressions ; the smiles seemed a tad forced, while the stuck-out tongues were anything but playful. Indeed, an overwhelming cringe seemed to be rotting those two easy-to-pull emotions. Even Leni, who seemed enthralled at first, visibly deflated when she caught the floral reference.

"Um, I-I don't not like it or anything, but... does it have to be about a flower ?" Leni fidgeted on the spot, as uncomfortable memories played before her eyes.

For a brief moment, Sans' relaxed demanour almost fell apart. His eyes went wide, and his smile became tense. The rarer timeline shifts... not a peep from that whacko for over a week... and all of that while had happened the arrival of more humans than the Underground had ever seen, who, surprise surprise, happened to be uneasy about flowers...

He knew darn well this could be all just a big coincidence, and that there could be a whole other reason for that flower fear comment. Anthophobia was a thing, after all. But dang it, it just explained too much things to be just that.

For the moment though, Sans could only speculate, and there wasn't much time for that right now. Right now, he needed to get things back on a smoother track. "flowers are giving you a bad time ? no worry, we don't have many of that down here."

"And thank heavens for that." Lincoln mumbled to himself. And to Sans' keen hearing.

"still, sorry if i struck a nerve there. i just thought, you know, i thought i was nipping it in the _bud_ , florally speaking."

"Floral ? There is a language for flowers ?" pried Leni, feeling like she had heard that before.

"Oh yeah, there's a whole book about it." answered, to the surprise of all, **Lynn**. "They say Daisies is supposed to symbolize love and harmony, basically the union between two lovers. But geez, I never thought you'd know that sort of stuff, Sans."

"And we didn't know either, eh Lynn ?" Lori's smug tone immediately brought an unhealthy shade of crimson to Lynn's face, as she realised what she had just blabbered out.

"H-Hey, stop staring ! Mom forced me to take the Botany class back in seventh grade to even out my average." Lynn explained hastily to all the sly grins flashing towards her. "That kind of thing just stuck to my brain like a weird chewing-gum, that's all ! It's just proof I haven't been bonking my head against stuff enough these last few- LUCY, YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO WIPE THAT SMUG GRIN OFF YOUR FACE, OH MY GOSH !" Lynn heatedly ordered to her little sister, and her wide, _wide_ grin.

"While it was way too sweet for my taste, what you said it was, sniff, almost too poetic." said Lucy, flicking away a fake tear. Inside though, she was crying of laughter at the angrily bashful expression the sportaholic was pulling.

"Can we **_please_** continue before I do something we all regret ?" Lynn half-threatened, half-begged. Three marathons and a thousand push-ups couldn't get her nearly as tired as her family could sometimes.

"It depends." Lincoln chuckled, appreciating the tenstion being lifted. "Leni, any qualms about the new name ?"

"Daisy..." mouthed Leni, processing the new bout of info she had just received about her new nickname. Was this... Was this Sans' way of giving his benediction ? In the most adorable and nice way possible ? That's it, she expected him to be nothing less than Papyrus' Best Man, and to have the most generous piece of pie of the table.

She gave Sans the fondest smile she could muster, any Flowey worry pushed away from her conscience. "I love it." she sniffled, and wrapped Sans into a tight hug.

Sans patted her back in return. "glad you do, and glad i didn't make it _orchid_."

(* _Rimshot_ *)

"Don't worry, you didn't _Rose_ any hard feelings ! Hahahaha ! Get it ?" Luan asked around, getting groans as expected, and a quiet chuckle from Sans.

" _Please, let's go..._ " groaned Lynn, unwilling to endure an Pun-mageddon on top of her stupid slip of the tongue.

"Agreed, we have hindered our progress long enough." said Lisa, rubbing her temples. "And to be quite frank, our companion isn't lessening my weariness by a single atom."

"harsh. but fair." quipped Sans as he was released from the rib-crushing embrace. "see ya later, kids."

"Of course we will." Lisa dryly retorted.

"BYE SANS !" the rest waved, and were all ready to proceed forward to more unknown. And Sans stood there, ready to decipher what he already knew.

* * *

The next piece of white land the Louds entered was a wide rectangular area, bare of any trees that held another wooden station, with a small wooden sign next to it, and a little white sign on top of the counter. And while the writing on it was debatable at best, it didn't raise as many eyebrows as the warzone it seemed to loosely supervise.

Old pawprints smeared all over the snow. White fur everywhere. Gashes in the snow that indicated that something had rolled in it. Those few clues alone were more than enough to identify this station's keeper to be a certain long-necked petting lover.

But the real shocker came in the form of the half-dozen sculptures around it. Columns of snow built in the clumsiest way possible, smeared with more paw prints. Some were angled, others were strangled into loop-de-loops. But short or long, square or circle, all those stackings of snow abruptly ended the same way, and the missing bits came in the form of severed snow dog heads, a horrifying sight to the Loud's resident zookeeper.

"Holy smokes, what the heck happened here ?!" exclaimed Lincoln in apt shock.

"It looks like some kind of art vengeance." murmured Lola. An uneasy feeling rose from her throat as she observed the happy, unmoving faces. "D-Does that count as some kind of massacre ?" she grimly asked, her mind wandering back to that friendly snowman from earlier.

Lana dropped on her knees, and began pounding the ground. "THOSE MANIACS, THEY BLEW IT ! SHAME ON THEM ! SHAME ON THEM TO DOGGY PURGATORY !" she roared to the ceiling, mourning the innocent canine losses around her.

"Woah Lana, calm down ! We don't know for sure they were alive. A bunch of rocks being sentient in the Ruins didn't mean the whole ground could talk !" Lynn pointed out, crouched to her sister's level to soothe her animal-loving spirit.

The little honorary pup lifted her brimming eyes from the ground. "You think so ?" she tearfully asked.

Behind her roommate, Lucy nodded. "And if they were alive, at least you can say they had a smile when they got gruesomely beheaded."

" _Dude !_ " cried out Luna, pointing at Lana's growing pupils of sadness, pitiful enough to make Lucy flinch.

"Sorry." she retracted bashfully.

Lana hiccupped and sniffed, but she still had a grip on herself. "I-It's okay, Lucy, you're right. A-At least they were happy until the end..."

" _Uh, those weren't alive._ "

The Louds quickly located the source of the unfamiliar voice. Next to the exit, on the side of the station, a monster was quietly sitting on a little chair. This monster ressembled an antropomorphic cow, with a way slimmer figure and light brown hair. He was clad in purple jeans, a purple sweater with green stars, and little black shoes. In his hand was a cup full of white liquid, hot if the smoke was anything to come by, and the small kettle with a portable stove that rested by his feet.

The bovine monster held a rather disinterested look, and didn't seem like he wanted to duke it out with the Louds. Thus, the children approached him without too much caution, but still enough.

"Are you sure ? They weren't alive at all ?" questionned Lori, ushing Lily's 'Moo !' attempts. She was proud that the tot still remembered that, but she didn't want her to come across as rude, especially in the odd chance that the monster didn't know that she was just a baby.

"Nope. Just sculptures that got messed up." assured the monster. Immediately, the Louds sighed in relief, except for Lana who fell backwards, her body sagging in endless deliverance. Unthinking snow, it was just unthinking snow.

"So, is it safe to think that Lesser Dog did this... um ?" Luan rotated her hand.

"Ferdinand, but call me Fred. You will eventually." 'Fred' took a long sip of his little cup, still showing it half-full afterwards, and began his tale. "Yeah, a dog came back here, more excited than I ever saw her be. Usually she'd start making a little neck, she'd stop, and then she'd just look at it for a long time. Like, hoping it would make art appear."

The humans gave knowing glances to eachother. That sounded like Lesser Dog alright.

"But today, it was different. She had an idea, a vision." pursued Fred. "She built the neck as usual, and copied her head on top, with an excited panting face to match her own. Standard self-portrait. But as every time she looked like she was finished, her neck would grow longer out of excitement. So, she would add more snow to match it, but that only made her more excited, thus making the neck even longer, and so on, until..."

He fell silent, sipping on his concoction with a sizzling sound, and finished with an audible popping sound from his lips. It spoke for itself.

"It was kinda sad to watch her doing it again and again. But I just couldn't look away, like I needed to see this." the monster sighed in a slightly somber tone.

"She reached too far for the skies, and tumbled back to the soil. The same fate as Icarus, with less real casualties." Lisa recited.

"I was more thinking about that kitty with the really long neck I saw that one time !" chirped Leni, giggling at the image of the funny feline.

Lisa drew a hard expression, thoroughly unamused. "No education. But then again, what else was I expecting ?" she grumbled, still full sourpuss. Sour enough to not notice the flash of hurt passing through Leni's own features.

"Poor Lesser though. She must've been so sad." said Lana, carrying her stare to her boots.

"As if. I don't think sad is even something she knows." Fred clicked his tongue in a haughty manner. "She heard the dinner bell, and skipped out of here with the same bounciness she came in with. She won't be back until morning."

Lori's eyes widened. "Morning ? You mean it's night right now ?"

"You got that right. Night is up, and I'm down on Sea Tea, which means it's my cue." said Fred, looking at his watch. He grunted out of his chair, gave it a little kick to make it fold flat. "You kids should head back home too, wherever you live."

"No need to tell us that, Sherlock.." Luan quietly chuckled, before feeling an important question pop out in her slightly loony mind. "Oh wait ! Is Snowdin Town close from here ?"

Ferdinand, his stuff in hand, squinted his eyes at the humans. "You kids aren't from here, are you ?" The question elected a couple of droplets of sweat to roll down foreheads, but thankfully, the horned monster quickly lost interest. "Eh, whatever. So many dang tourists these days, geez- Snowdin is about ten minutes straight away. It's not hard, you've just got to go forward, and you'll see the lights soon enough."

Despite the monster's clear indifference, Lori still flashed a grateful smile. "Thank you for the directions, Fred."

His trek was halted for a moment, and he waved a gloved hoof absentmindedly. "Yeah, you're welcome, I guess." he said, and resumed his shuffling until he was out of sight.

"We better do the same if we want to find a place to bunk." quipped Luna.

"Yeaaaah, but first we've got to fish Lana out of that booth." remarked Lynn, pointing at Lana's form diving behind the wooden counter.

"Urgh, Lana ! Get out of there, we have to move !" ordered Lola out of mild annoyance.

"Just a minute, you guys ! I'm just checking for some cool stuff !" Lana called back. "Whoo, a whole lot of squeaky toys. Wow, a rubber ball ! Oh never mind, it's just a really well-groomed ball of fur."

Knowing she would be taking some time, the Louds approached the booth for further inspection as well. The wooden sign was a good laugh, except perhaps for Lisa.

"' _AWARE OF DOG. pleas pet dog._ '" read Luna, before instinctively moving out of the way, sensing a disturbance in the sibling force. "Lis', what are you doing ?"

"Making this crazy world a little more right." said Lisa as she furiously scribbled on the sign that she swore was there just to taunt her. She sighed in deep relief and proudly nodded, observing the results. "Much better."

' **_BE_** _AWARE OF_ ** _THE_** _DOG._ ** _P_** _leas_ ** _e_** _pet_ ** _the_** _dog._ '

Lola pouted at it. "It kinda kills the feeling." she criticised.

"It has been a long, tiresome day. Let me have this." Lisa simply retorted.

"Hey, I found raisins !" Lana's hand shot up to reveal her fruitful findings.

 _As the pun indicates_ , Luan took a hold of the little white box, and inspected it. The off-white treats squeezed both her hearts with their dead ringer to Friendliness Pellets – unfunniest joke ever, **period** – but perked up when she read the brand. "Don't you mean, _Pomeraisins_ ?" she giggled lightly, but stopped when she heard the usual groans, as they were out of cue. "Um, that wasn't a joke. That's actually how they're called."

"Groan, that's somewhat worst." Lucy, one could assume, rolled her eyes.

"And there's a lot where that comes from, so you shouldn't have so much _grape_ about it !" she fully chortled this time, much to her siblings' further annoyance. As if they didn't get enough fruit humour from her endless assaults of banana and blueberry pies.

As Luan put the treats back, Lily became interested in the little white sign, and crawled on the counter. The transcription looked pretty awful, and that pleased the little girl greatly. Why, it looked like something she'd write, trying to imitate her older siblings. Messy scribbles going all over the board, and a little paw signature at the bottom. Lily cooed as she put her own chubby hand over it, and giddly felt like she was matching it despite the mittens making it impossible.

"You know, looking at it from here, that writing looks mighty familiar." commented Lori thoughtfully. Not for long though, as the narrative cavalry arrived.

* _"You see more dog scratches, but more 'calligraphic' ones. It reads, 'Shift done, back in morning. If you have treats or pet coupons, put treats and pet coupons inside station. If is Captain, I worked very hard today, good girl outta good girl, deserves a treat. Signed, Leslie 'Esquire' Sser of Dog. (P.S. : Pls give treats and pets.)'"_

"That's some fancy name for a dog that only tilts in pets." said Lincoln, getting his voice back. "Still, I guess it's not too bad for an artist name."

"Yeah, but it'll be a while before she gets to use it." quipped Lucy with a dry motion towards the snowdog graveyard. But, surprising herself the most, she started seeing past the grimness the sight suggested. "But I've got a feeling that's not gonna stop her. Artist blocks are meant to be broken, after all." she added with an audible note of hope.

And that was when, amongst the fallen heads, Lincoln noticed a beaming yellow star that brought good news. It seemed eerily waiting to be noticed by the humans like they had done for its cousins, and its brightness went up a couple of hertz when the boy spotted it.

"Alright, one SAVE, coming right up !" chirped Lincoln, as he rushed to it and delivered a hearty but still careful slap on its shiny goodness. In an instant, his pupils gained crimson.

* _"Knowing that Lesser Dog won't roll over on trying to make the perfect snowdog... It fills you with fuzzy **Determination !** "_

 _ **LOUDS – Dog House**_

 _ **LV1 – 176:01**_

 **File saved successfully !**

Immediately, a wave of relief washed over the children, resplendishing their _HP_ bars and healing the wounds from their sore fights. That relief also gave Lynn a perfect window of opportunity to scoop Lana out of the station so that they could proceed. Lana fussed at first, but knowing Lynn's grip of steel, she resigned herself to her fate, and put on a heavy pout as she let herself be carried out of the area like a doggy bag.

* * *

The next zone welcomed the Louds with a small slope on their right, and a new Tic-tac-toe kind of puzzle straight ahead, but with no rocks to separate the dozen of switches this time around, instead having a heavy coat of ice around those few spots of snow. Surprisingly, all the X's had already been turned into lime green O's, and the stone switch at the right of the puzzle had already been pressed. From what they could tell, it deployed a long ice bridge that stretched through a gap between twin rows of bare trees that stretched so high, craning their necks could barely allow to see their top. The small forest was so thick that the bridge was veiled with darkness, except for a faint light showing the other side.

However, before the humans could gayly cross, the ice bridge began to crumble. Audibly at first, but they quickly could see the structure falling apart. When the bridge went completely under, the stone switch unlocked itself up from the ground, and all the X's reappeared for the next challengers. In this case, the gaping humans.

"Alright, show of hands ! Who thought ' _This is too easy !_ ' when they saw the puzzle already done ?" Lola asked impatiently. Ten hands awkwardly rose around her, laughing sheepishly. The little pageant powerhouse let out an annoyed sigh, but didn't chew anyone out. She was too busy raising her hand as well. "Dang it."

"Hey, cheer up ! It can't be too hard of a puzzle if that guy did it in under a minute." Luan happily uttered.

"Let's get busy then ! Alright, what do we have here..." said Lincoln, deep in his strategy-making zone. He began his usual pacing, almost seeing dirty brown carpeting under his feet and close yellow walls. The place where had born most of his plans, all with varying degrees of success, and imagining it being there made the blood fluctuate to his brain more easily.

But there was such a thing as being too roped up in your own imagination, and it wasn't Lincoln's first slipping onto something because of his clouded mind. But a banana peel or a flight of stairs wouldn't cut it this time. Instead, Lincoln let himself on a straight sliding course, and not a speck of snow to stop him. The end of that course ? It sent goosebumps right up Leni's spine when she noticed him already halfway across the rink.

"Linky ? OH GOSH ! LINCOLN, _WATCH OUT !_ " shrieked Leni in sudden terror, that spreaded across the girls' expressions, and prompting them to shout panicked warnings to their brother. He eventually picked up on them.

"Huh ? What's the problem ? And why are you all getting further-" His words died in his throat when he felt the light breeze against his back. He turned around...

 _And his face blanched when he saw the shortening half-meter (couple of feet) separating him from the end of the rink._

"This StiiiIIIIIIIIIINKS !" Lincoln cried out, as he lost his footing and was plunged into the abyss.

" _ **LINCOLN !**_ " the ten sisters howled in despair, scarcely believing what had just unfold. Their brother had fallen, disappeared forever, and all because of a single second of inattention. The shock was so intense, they couldn't even cry, but they were already assuming the worst. Was this their punishment for becoming numb to the danger ? Was this world, with all its humour and energy, willing to tear through their hearts with the guilt of their brother's demise ?

"Uh, guys ? Yoo-hoo."

"I can still hear his cute squeaky voice..." whimpered Leni, hot tears finally starting to form.

" _My voice is not squeaky !_ " echoed Lincoln's voice from afar.

"Brother ?" gasped Lucy, daring relief and joy to flood inside her SOUL.

" _ **Lincoln's alive !**_ " the First Grade duo hollered and bounced in pure elation.

"Are you alright ?! Did you break something ?! Is it dark ?! _Don't scream thy last scream !_ " broke Luna, her heart still rushing like a derailing train, and relief having yet to completely settle in.

"Guys, I'm fine ! My tushie is sore, and so is my ego, but otherwise, I'm A-okay !" Lincoln joked back to calm the frantic calls for his well-being. "I've only fallen a few feet below, and I can already see a way up."

"Hold on, how's it like down there ?! Is there some kind of hidden secret treasure or stuff like that ?!" Lynn wondered out loud. Secret loot and its wonders was one of the very few elements from her bro's snore-fest of how games usually worked that she had managed to fit inside her brain.

"Doubt it, the whole thing is kinda empty ! Well, save for those snowcrafts !"

"Snowcrafts ? Like, more cute snowdogs ?" asked Leni.

"Nope, no dogs ! In fact, I'm pretty sure it's not Lesser Dog's work ! Or she must really have a thing for Papyrus." Lincoln's claim made Leni gasp sharply. Had a rival appeared ? And a totes cute one at that ? How was she going to compete with all that white fuzzy fur and those petting oportunities ?!

"And, why would that be ?" asked a slightly grossed out Lisa.

"Because you must be to put an 8-pack on a life-size snow Papyrus."

Leni's thoughts made a sharp U-turn, erasing the strange thought of a Battle of the Bands against a dog – also burying the question of how she'd even got to this point – and making a mad scramble to Hunkland, and their new attraction : An lifelike ice sculpture of a muscular Papyrus, that could be touched and even danced with on a beautiful winter-themed scenery.

 _ **But what were mere thoughts, compared to seeing the real thing ?! Meaningless ! Feeble ! Unworthy of another millisecond being lost on them !**_

It was this idea, though not worded exactly as such, that lit Leni's brain like a Christmas tree. And she wanted her presents now !

"I'M COMING MY LOVE !" clamoured Leni, with only hearts in her eyes, and a destination in her sights. Which could explain why she didn't take any notice of her nine sisters in front of her and rammed into them forward. But seeing as their minds were not scrambled with infatuation to the point of blindness, they all tried to hold their love-crazed sister from making a big mistake.

"Leni, slow down ! Remember what we talked about ! Family safety before Skeleton of your dreams !" hissed Lori between her teeth, trying to keep her feet from the slippery floor.

"I know love makes you do crazy things – Gah ! – but this is straight up ridiculous !" groaned Lynn. "I'm putting my whole bod into it, and with help ! So how is she still pushing us ?!"

"Love hurts, and in this case, it's going to hurt us." Lucy threw in her two verses.

"Haha, good one sis." praised Luan.

"Who's joking ? My knees are this close from crumbling into the dust they eventually will become."

"...Hold on a minute." spoke Lana, peeking an eye open, and spotting an interesting element to the right of the wall of siblings and the Leni-dozer. An element that they hadn't even taken into consideration, despite being explained in the area's presentation. _Does somebody even read them ?!_ "Leni, look ! There's a little road down there, and I bet it goes where Lincoln is ! You don't have to jump off a cliff to see that jacked Papyrus !"

"I don't ?!" Leni gasped in joyful surprise, immediately sobbering and straightening up. Indeed, there it was, waiting for her to skip through it ! But as she turned to her siblings to tell them to follow her ASAP, she noticed them in a pile slowly slipping across the frozen ground, and scrambling madly to get a grip onto something.

"Guys, this is no time for skating !" she lightly chided. First they said to not get onto the rink, and now they were doing it anyway ?!

"Leni, you darn fooOOOOOOOOOOL !" cursed Lisa, as the falling took its cue, soon followed by a heavy * _POMF_ *.

The fashionista raised an eyebrow at the insult, but then realised her mistake : _she_ had just nudged her siblings off a ledge, right after trying to stop her doing the same to herself. She cringed, heavily so. She was in for the earful of the century.

' _But will that keep you from doing it again ? No, of course not. Learning is just one of the many things you're awful at._ '

She rightfully ignored that taunting voice, and dashed straight down the small path. Perhaps she was going to get chewed up, but the itching worry of her siblings being hurt overpassed that fear.

* * *

The area Leni found was just like her brother had described : a small bare platform that led nowhere. The center had been shoveled clean, and she could see Lincoln standing there, just next to-

No, she couldn't look at it directly ! Not until she spotted her sisters- _And she found them in an instant._ It was hard to miss a heap that big, with limbs sticking out and twitching, as well as multi-pitched groans of heavy discomfort. It wasn't pretty to look at, especially since it seemed that they had partly landed on the cold harsh ground rather than the cushioning blanket of snow. The only thing Leni could be thankful for about the sight was an uninjured Lily at the top, Lori's loyal hands hovering her a measly ten centimeters above the human pile.

As she advanced, a shocked Lincoln took notice of her, bringing him the explanation of the lack of platinium blond hair in there. "Leni, what the heck happened ?"

Leni bit her lip and rubbed her fingers nervously, but admitted her guilty plea, knowing that her Linky would be the less inclined at berating her. "I was kinda trying to follow you to see, um, you-know-who, and I, like, _might_ have pushed them by accident..." She ended with a sheepish chuckle.

Lincoln cringed in sympathy inside, but shook his head wearily on the outside. Another lovestruck blunder to add to Leni's toll. Her toll of hazy goof-ups in general was pretty high, but the daily one sure was getting heavy for a measly couple of hours. But Lincoln was not that surprised.

Instead, he focused his efforts to try and get the fallen girls back on their feet. He didn't have to beckon Leni in assisting her, something the blonde chose to do in a heartbeat.

"Are you guys alright ?" fretted Lincoln as he pulled and dusted his little mechanic of a sister.

"Yeah, it's fine. Not exactly a pleasant fall, but I've taken worst falls than that from the casa's roof alone." reassured Lana, giving her neck a couple of therapeutic cracks.

"Or staircases. Or the tree. Or Vanzilla's roof that one time." chuckled Lynn, already up and about.

"That was one heck of a stage dive." groaned Luna as she stretched her back.

"Yeah, looks like the crowd below got _cold feet_. Get it ?" Luan laughed weakly, contently letting Leni shoveling the snow out of her hair and ears, then gently putting her earmuffs back where they belonged.

"Well, the good news is, it looks like your _HP_ didn't suffer from that fall at all." said Lincoln. His attempt at being positive was met with limited results.

"Whoop-dee-do, but that's not stopping my head from feeling sore, not to mention kinda heavy." moaned Lola. Still, her numbness was not enough to stop her from carrying herself up with the amount of pride that befitted her.

"Yes Lily, I'm fine, you can dial back the kisses." Lori laughed at the youngest's effort to smooch her worries away, and despite the feeling of soreness still very present, it did soothe her cyan SOUL aching with annoyance.

"I could use some demonstration of affection as well." called Lisa, not caring how pitiful it sounded, while Lincoln straightened her beret. Lily eagerly obliged, much to her sister's bashful gratefulness.

"Pass." Lucy boldly claimed, in spite of the aching shoulder she now sported and was busy rubbing. A fact that did not fly under Lori's radar, who teasingly brought her peckering package closer to the Duchess of Darkness, to give her what she despised, but needed. Of course, while she gave a hidden scowl to Lori, she didn't dare raising a complaint to the toddler. She was not heartless, unfortunately.

"Sorry everyone. I-I guess I wasn't thinking again." Leni shamefully apologised. From the tone of their replies consisting of groans and sighs, there didn't seem to be too much bad blood, telling her to ' _forget about it_ ' and ' _it's alright, love_ '. But still, she could see the tired annoyance starting to radiate in her direction, and she did catch the passing murmur of ' _Yeah, big surprise there_ '. She didn't know who had said that, she wasn't even sure anyone had said it. But she knew she deserved it.

Feeling better, Luna shrugged, "Well, we're here, might as well see what's up. Where's that jacked goofball ?"

"Right there. It's kinda hard to miss with that impeccable finish." Lincoln pointed behind him.

The snow Papyrus, a snow bust in fact, had everything it should have to be faithful to the original, from the obvious artist's point of view. Red-orange scarf and gloves, a proud expression completed by a dazzling smile, neat finish, and the muscle stature of a bodybuilder, with two more abs added for extra emphasis on how ripped he was. All in all, the perfect physical representation of Papyrus' ego. In fact, most of the siblings were surprised he wasn't wearing a crown with a plate of spaghetti on top, or about the lack of a sign highlighting ' _A ROYAL GUARD'S MAGNIFICENCE ! A HUMBLE SELF-PORTRAIT_ '.

"That's some buff skeleton right there." whistled Lynn in great amusement.

"I cannot believe that this sentence is no longer deemed to be agrammatical." Lisa facepalmed.

"There's ego, that's for sure." Lori commented. She then gained a sly smile. "Although..." Her vision allowed Papyrus' head to morph into the one of her loving boyfriend, grinning at her while he flexed all that muscle-y goodness. "I see good possibilities, and then some..." Lori smacked her lips hungrily.

"So many possibilities..." Leni drooled, imagining a beach scene, with her in a cute floral swimsuit, and Papyrus clad in only swim trunks, coming out of the water, sizzling on his hot bod, and blond-coloured seaweed atop his head flowing in the breeze. Dear gosh, he could make seaweed look hot ! And then Leni imagined Papyrus asking if she wanted him to pass sunscreen along her back, and she just had to stop before she broke into a huge nosebleed.

Lana looked with a confused pout at her two oldest sisters' salivating expressions, having only a vague idea of why Leni would be that way, but not wanting to push the idea any further, in fear of extreme grossness. She took another look at the statue, and started to see her own dreaming thought : a huge lizard head ! She imagined Izzy having licked some of Lisa's chemicals, and going from cool little lizard to Awesome Giant Dinosaur Mutant, with huge scaly muscles, giant claws that could tear through buildings, and teeth that could mash steel like carrot sticks. Lana could see herself on his shoulder, as he let his Atomic Breath on the school, closing it forever and burning all the homework ! _**Burn homework, burn !**_

"I see what you mean..." she nodded, making quiet monster growls that earned a confused brow raising from her brother.

"Wait, shouldn't there be a snow Sans too ?" queried Luan, whipping her head around.

"I doubt he even has the stamina to build one." snarked Lola, still feeling a bit woozy for some reason.

"Actually, he did. Sorta." said Lincoln, and pointed to their right, near Luna's boots. A lump of snow layed there, its lumpy state reeking of idleness. And to ponder the artist's personal touch, the name " **sans** " was unevenly written over it in red marker.

Lisa snorted contemptuously. "Alright, that is just sad." Despite her bluntness, pretty much everyone felt inclined to agree.

"It's kinda fitting. Art doesn't have to be beautiful, it just has to mean something." quipped Lucy poetically. "And I think the message isn't lost on anyone here."

Being the sole one amused by Sans' below-amateur craftiness, Luan shook her head and went to her pun buddy's defense. "You guys are being unfair. I mean, like it or hate it, you've gotta admit that for such a lazy guy, he's pretty good at _lump_ shading it !" the comedienne broke into a full-on cackle.

"Huh. That one wasn't too shabby." said Luna with a genuine grin. "Looks like you're dishing out the effort for the two of you, Loons. I mean, I know he's all for minimum work, but he could've at least put a face on that thing !" Finding the overabundent laziness insulting, Luna picked up a small broken stick, and drew Sans' face herself. And mightily fine while she was it. "There, heck-a lot better !"

"Neat work !" said Lana, exchanging a high-five with her big sister. Lily shared the mirth with joyful clapping.

"You know, that stick also could've made for a great arm ! You know if we had another." chirped Lynn, taking a minute to wonder how their snowman friend was doing with his brand new limbs.

"Urgh, why is my head still so heavy ?" bemoaned Lola, massaging her throbbing forehead. "It feels like someone knitted weights to my hair. And I'm usually okay with things weighing my head, like books, or an emergency tea party set." The little princess was at her wits' end with that weird bout of pain, especially since it appeared that nobody else was feeling it... but they were sending suspiciously agape stares in her direction. "Hey, what's up with the dead fish looks ?"

A collective sentiment of nervosity now oozed around Lola's brother and sisters about sharing their latest discovery, one that they felt quite foolish to have only discovered right then and there. As much as they loved their crowd-winning sister, they knew she could be quite touchy when it came to bringing her bad news solely affecting her, and had a nasty habit of biting the hand of the messenger out of immediate rage.

And the news they had right now ? Definitively not good.

"Okay Lola, hear me out until the end." Lincoln began calmly. "There is no reason to panic."

* _You feel like your bomb defuser skills could use some MAJOR improvements._

As much as he wanted to diss back, he had to admit, Lola looked anything but calm right now, if that suspicious glower was anything to come by. "It's not a big deal, not at all. But, um... what if I told you we know why your head feel weird... and that this place really had two sticks in it ?" he squeaked the last part with the tightest smile he had in him.

Okay, now Lola knew something was up. That smile alone was a giant red flag with " **Suspicious** " embroidered in it and highlighted by flashing neon lights. Why was he beating around the bush so much ? And what did that stick had to do with... with...

Lola's rosey face drained of any colour, and she could hear the haunting sound of her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure which one, heck she imagined being the two at once.

 _He could not be implying what she thought he was implying._

"...Guys, is there a stick stuck in my hair right now ?" she slowly asked. The anxiety in their eyes rose sharply, and so did hers.

Lisa laughed nervously. "W-Well, it depends what you consider to be the proper semantic of a stick-"

That was all Lola needed to tear the compact mirror out of her coat pocket, and take a good look at herself despite her siblings' cries of warning. And when she saw herself, her beautiful self, she wondered if she should have taken heed of those warnings.

A large prickly stick had gotten itself completely tangled in her hair, holding hostage as much bangs as it could in its evil little stumps. Every hair was going in so many directions, it looked like she had slept on a pillow full of dynamite, and later groomed it with an egg beater. And to add insult to injury, the two ends of the stick made her look like a moose. A Moose ! A big stinky _Moose_ !

'Mess' wasn't bad enough of a word to describe what her precious coiffure had become. Disaster ? Still too kind. **Apocalypse.** Yes, that sounded just about enough in her opinion. Barely so.

Lola couldn't even scream to the vision of pure revulsion, it was beyond any regular outrage. Her vocal chords simply couldn't express the amount of despair she was feeling at the moment. All they could muster was a pathetic little whine, a fitting sound for her situation, she believed.

The feeling of terror was quickly replaced by sympathy at seeing their sister this affected, especially when she didn't deserve it. They needed to do something about it, and Lynn had just the plan. But she knew the victim herself wasn't going to like it. She began advancing while cracking her knuckles, the sound of which immediately struck Lola with cold dread.

"You stay away from me." shakily ordered the pinkaholic.

"It needs to be done." Lynn sternly stated, not hindering her approach.

"Lynn, don't toy with me. I'll bite you, I swear !" Lola recoiled even more. Her breathing was becoming more erratic as she saw the firmness radiating from Lynn's being. Especially those hands, small and grabby, yet ones that had a grip akin to a gorilla's. Just to imagine them yanking at her beloved scalp buried her mind under even more panic.

And doing so, she failed to notice the small head nudges Lynn was making to Luan and Lincoln to restrain her. The two hesitated at first, more for their safety than anything else, but understood where the brunette was coming from. They moved quickly and took a tight hold on both arms. Then, the hard part began.

"Get your hands off me this instant, you hear me ?!" cried Lola, trashing and clawing around in a mad fuss.

"Lola, it's for your own good ! You don't want to keep that _hairy_ situation going, do you ?" said Luan, holding on strong.

" _Fiends ! Traitors, the lot of you ! Wait until I wiggle my way out, I'll have both of your butts red and steamy_ _!_ "

"The longer you fight it, the worst it'll get tangled, and the longer you'll look like Santa's lost reindeer ! Let Lynn do her thing, please !" Lincoln asked with a certain urgency.

Lola's struggling slowly stopped, until she went almost limp. Her cries for revenge had dialed down to quiet sniffles, and she looked up to her older siblings with big eyes that were cracking their hearts open like ripe nuts.

"Guys... I'm scared..." she openly admitted, her voice wavering and almost breaking into sobs.

Lincoln and Luan responded with reassuring smiles and a comforting squeeze. It wasn't much, but it was about all that they could offer. As for Lynn, she carressed her shoulder, silently promising her that it would be over before she knew it. That sounded like a doctor before a flu shot, and while it wasn't doing wonders to quell Lola's fears, she did trust Lynn on that promise.

"Okay, here we go." Lynn took a deep breath, and had the stick clutched between her palms. "And a one, and a two, and a great big THREE !"

* _SHRIP !_ *

" _AAAAAAAAAAAH !_ " Lola's pained shriek placed second on the Underground's record for _Shrillest sound ever_.

"Oooh, that's eardrum assault right there." Luna cringed despite herself. Only few concerts had ever gotten to the point of an instant headache for the loudest of Louds.

Lynn also cringed, but more about what she felt she had to say next. "Welp, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is, that branch is completely out of your hair, and with no lasting damage !" she boldly assured. However, her flare didn't last for too long. "Bad news is, well... just a little advice : don't look into a mirror right now."

Fear tightened its grip around Lola's heart, especially when she spotted the few blond bangs still hanging from the branch. Lynn's advice sounded safe for her sanity, so she slowly went to put the compact mirror back into her pocket. But temptation was just too great, and she whipped it back near her face again, took a good look-

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH !**_ "

-and re-established her scream record again while she was at it, but still earned the silver for the Underground's.

"Aaaand, that's eardrum murder." wheezed Luna as she held on her ears, the most precious part of her body along with her hands and vocal chords. She sent a look to Lola, but there was hardly any blame in it, instead was a good lot of pity.

Lola's hair looked even more disheveled than before, with wild hairs springing from absolutely everywhere and, the worst of all, little _bald_ spots here and there ! Her precious hair, uprooted from its sacred stand with prejudice and pain. But was this the worst she had ever looked ? No, not by a mile. There wasn't any banana peel perched on her head, she wasn't litteraly dressed in a potato sack, and hey, she still had most of her hair, unlike the time Lisa had 'helped' with her tangled hair problem.

Heck, the stick out of her hair was actually a major improvement, hence why she found her voice this time. But this was still too much to take for the little blonde, and she promptly began to complain about it, with all the theatricals that had to go with it, or her name wasn't Lola Loud.

" _Why ?!_ Why must my hair be besmirched like so ?! I wasn't even bad today, I made the best of efforts to be, at the very least, charritable ! I even helped a monster find his true way in life ! Ain't that good enough for you, Santa ?! So why ?! Someone tell me ! Why did I do to deserve thi-i-i-is ?" she ended her soliloquy with a mighty crash forward, once again attempting to bury her face in her own tears.

It was Lana, her SOUL filled with the most pity, that went to console her. She knew her often demanding twin had been through a lot today, with the entire forest apparently going out of its way to either wound or insult her cherished appearance. And she was right ; _for what reason ?_ None she could think of, that was for sure.

"There there, sis. It's not your fault, none of this is." said Lana, lifting Lola into a gentle hug and letting her tears cascade down her shoulder. Not the most pleasant of sensations, but she held on, for Lola's sake. " _You don't deserve this._ "

"...You're right." Lola answered, her tears abruptly ceasing their descent. But there was nothing soft about her tone, no sound of spirits being lifted by the reassurance. Instead, the harsh undertone her voice held highlighted the silent fury that was brewing inside her previously heavy heart. Lola broke the hug, and stood in all her disheveled and simmering glory.

" _ **I**_ don't deserve it." she slowly went on, her voice getting lower and colder with each word. " _Which means somebody else does._ "

"B-But..." Lana stammered, believing she had just walked straight into a wrathful tiger's cage, and flinched when Lola pointed her open palm at her.

" **No.** You're not to blame." she assured, almost gratefully. Lana felt relieved, but only for herself. Because if she was not to blame, that meant she already knew who was. But who could that be ?

Lynn, for not being careful enough ? No. She had done her good getting that thing out of her hair.

Lincoln and Luan, for restraining her and making false promises ? No. They couldn't have known.

Everyone, for delaying their confession on the capillary crime, thus possibly making it _WORST ?!_ No. Too widespread, and too little to blame. She needed all that anger out of her system, the remnants of the frustration accumulated through the day.

 _She needed an scapegoat, a basilica to focus her wrath on. She needed to attack the very **source** of her problems. _

And what luck ! Such a source did exist ! And she knew her quite well.

" _ **You...**_ " Lola gurgled in a deep demonic voice, her outstretched claw piercing through the crowd to fall on the trembling lamb named Leni, looking at her like a deer caught in headlights. _If a wolf was driving the car._ She saw Lola approach slowly, never cutting the contact between her smoldering peepers and Leni's fearful ones. She kept gnashing her teeth, warming them up for the chewing out she was about to put her big sister through. And when she stood in front of her, despite being half her size, Leni could feel Lola towering over her, leaving her completely helpless in her looming shadow.

All Leni could choke out was a meek " _Sorry_ ".

"Oh, you're sorry ?" sing-sang Lola with a wide menacing smile that made sure to show every sharp tooth in her mouth. She let out a small hollow giggle, and her grin increased along with Leni's apparent terror. "Ain't that the bee's knees. You're really sorry ?"

Leni nodded frantically. She didn't even care if bees had knees or not ! Not too much anyway.

"I didn't hear you~" Lola sang again, positively reveling in the terror she was inflicting to her, and making no effort to hide it. She was that far gone in her wrath. "Are you sorry~ ?"

"Y-Yes."

"Oh, so you are. And do you think you being sorry is going to cut it ?" the smaller blonde asked in a sweet tone that was threatening to burst any second.

"U-Um... _Maybe-_ "

" **OF COURSE IT'S NOT GOING TO, YOU AIRHEAD !** " the Lol-cano finally erupted, her cookie-dough mask finally exploding into a million pieces. " _Look at me !_ This is all your fault, and you know it ! My beautiful self is in shambles, and I'm not even sure that healing star is going to make it any better, because it's not even a monster who did it to me ! Oh, scratch that, it is one ! _And the biggest ditz I know at that !_ "

"Lola..." Lori warned sternly, not liking where she was going.

" _NO, LORI !_ " the six-year-old shot back. "This has been going ALL _FLIPPIN'_ DAY ! It's time someone clean that girl's clock, before one of us ends up getting killed by her lovey-dovey dumbness !"

"Lola, I know you're mad, but come on..." quipped Lincoln, surpassing his fear of Lola's wrath. The advice from his mindmate, dripping with sarcasm, wasn't helping at all.

* _Humans letting their emotions run wild for petty incidents. How shocking._

But Lola ignored her brother altogether, instead letting her rage dictate her next words. "As soon as we crossed that first bridge, all YOU've been doing is making goo-goo eyes to Papyrus ! Because of that, your attention span is even worst that usual, and all it's doing is making this quest more difficult than it needs to be !" She began listing her sister's blunders on her fingers. "First, there was you bumping into Snowdrake. Then, there was alerting Doggo by ringing the bell ! _Then_ , you zapped us with a couple hundred volts in the labyrinth ! _**Then**_ , you completely messed the X-O puzzle to prove something you hadn't ! _THEN_ , you sent Lisa's notes straight into the abyss ! And _**THEN**_ , you did **THIS !** " she pointed at her hair. She didn't care for Leni's composure of pure guilt or her siblings' disapproving looks. She was telling the truth, and that's what mattered !

"I-I-I..."

"Oh ho ho, but wait ! Why am I saying all this ? What does it matter to you, as long as you have your precious skeleton's attention ? Why don't you just tear what's left from my hair, and make a _**wedding necklace out of it ?!**_ " Lola spat.

Leni gasped softly. Everything she had said before had hurt, but to imply that she was capable of willingly putting her family in danger just to satisfy her beau ? That was like someone had slapped her directly across the face. And another came from the fact that she couldn't even prove it wrong.

"Did that promise we made in the Ruins meant zippo to you ?! Does going back home means nothing now ?! All because of the first pretty monster boy you see ?! HA ! And they call me the petty one !"

"Lola, you're going too far !" Lori's stern glare crawled on Lola's back. But she didn't care.

"Why are you like this ?! Why are you... **Why are you** **ALWAYS like this ?!** " Lola hitched her breath. Part of her mind was suddenly reeling in, knowing she was about to cross a line that she hadn't ever crossed, even during her worst tantrums. But as she paused to recollect, she spotted a couple of hair strands on the ground. And just like that, the boilingstream of anger in her SOUL was raging and kicking more fiercely than ever. "Why do you take anything so litteraly ?! Why are you always asking such dumb questions ?! Why are you always so clumsy at everything you do ?! Why... Why..."

"Lola, no !" cried Luan, halfway in reaching for her sister to stop the fatal blow she was about to inflict.

" _ **WHY CAN'T YOU HAVE YOUR BRAIN TURNED ON AT ALL TIMES LIKE**_ _ **NORMAL PEOPLE**_ _ **DO ?!**_ "

" **LOLA !** " thundered Lori, positively out of her newfound patience. Her glower was more intimidating than ever, somehow combining her regular death glare with Toriel's motherly disapproval, making it powerful enough to finally tear through the princess' anger and fill her blue SOUL with fear. She passed Lily to Lincoln, and stomped over to Lola to make herself even more imposing. "You take back everything you just said and apologize this instant, or else..."

But despite Lori's towering form of lecturing, Lola still had some sass to dish out, and stood her ground. "W-Whatever ! Someone had to say it, and none of you had the guts ! If anything, I'm helping her !"

"Lola, I litteraly swear to heck..." Lori growled, clenching and unclenching her fingers.

"I only said what's true ! Dare tell me I'm wrong !" Lola shouted back with crimson cheeks.

Lori sputtered. She just couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was a whole other level of brattiness, even for Lola. "Of course you're wrong ! This is a bunch of hooey, and nothing more ! Right, guys ?!" Her call for support met an awkward silence. "Guys ?"

Lori turned to glance at her siblings, and was floored to find them rubbing their necks nervously and avoiding looking at her, Lola, or Leni altogether. Except for Lily, who was just as confused as her oldest sister right now.

Lola on the other hand, simply crossed her arms with a knowing nod. "Told you so." she said flatly.

"Oh. My gosh. Really ? Like, _really_ ? That's what you all think of your sister ?" Lori shook her head, just about done with this.

"Woah woah woah, hold the phone there !" Luna hastily gesticulated. "We ain't agreeing with how she said it and all of what she said, especially the last part ! Right, dudes ?!" The others nodded and voiced their approval, some hesitating a little bit. "Just because she can be a little, um, hazy at times, doesn't mean she ain't a Loud we love !" The approval was more genuine this time. But then, Luna's attitude took a shameful step back. "But... Lola has a point somewhere, sis. Leni's been really out of it this afternoon, and it's getting... you know, a bit dangerous."

"Yeah, what if that zapping ball instantly recharged ? We would've been fried on the spot !" Lana pointed out, not even amused by the fact her skin could have tasted like chicken.

"Or what if Doggo's attack didn't have that huge weakness ? Heads would have rolled for him to play catch with." Lucy grimly uttered.

"And even though Lincoln had already debunked the theory, his fall ending well could've been a fluke, while we would've fallen to whatever horrors await us beyond this realm already from beyond." quipped Lisa with a little gulp. "I doubt a bed of flowers is waiting to catch us down there."

"And that gives you the right to call her names ?!" asked Lori out of complete disbelief.

"Hey, _Lola_ is calling her names !" defended Lynn, looking uncharacteristingly fidgety. "All we're saying is that we all agreed on pushing forward no matter what and, well, she is pulling behind. Not on purpose or anything, but it's still... kinda _not_ helping."

The other girls voiced despondent " _Yeah_ "s and gave half-hearted nods, again avoiding any visual contact with the sistriarch, who took the consensus with a tired sigh. Tentatively, she looked at her brother and youngest sister, and found the latter to be gloomy because of the general atmosphere, while the former was looking just as uneasy.

Lori frowned at him with a judgemental stare. " _Et tu, brother ?_ "

Lincoln sighed. "You know, I think we all are a little to blame for not keeping track of Leni with Doggo, or not having the best choice of words during the invisible maze puzzle. And hey, she looked like she was getting better with that love bug of hers. But pushing your sisters over a cliff, even by accident ? This is where we've gotta start talking. And yes, talking, as in a conversation, not a one-sided nastiness storm." he chided, giving Lola a disapproving glare, which she rebutted with a grumpy pout. "Look, I agree that we should stay cool about it. No one is hurt-"

"Excuse me ?!" Lola shrilly interrupted, pointing at all her icky bald spots.

"No one is _**seriously**_ hurt," Lincoln stressed, annoyed, "and the road is still open before us. But I've got a feeling it's only gonna get tougher from there, and if we want to keep going with **D** etermined hearts, Leni has got to get a serious grip on that love thing, like she promised us. I think that's only fair." He angled his look towards the kind accused, and his voice softened. "Leni, does that sound fair to you ?"

Through the whole conversation, despite her siblings talking about her like she wasn't even there, Leni hadn't raised a single complaint or changed her expression. Ever since Lori had barged in, all the pretty blonde had done was looking to the ground with a sorry expression. But that was it, just some gloom splashed across her face, her cheeks and eyes bare of any tears or embarassed redness. She gave a tiny nod, and added nothing else. She didn't look sad so much as she looked... accepting. And that bothered her siblings to no end.

"Leni, are you okay love ?" probbed Luna, uneasy at the sight of a sad Leni for the second time in less than an hour, and even more at the thought that she had a part in making it happen.

Leni took a deep breath, and exhaled it just as deeply. She made a small smile appear, and looked at her siblings ahead. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry I messed up, I-I'm really going to try harder this time. I've learned my lesson, totes swear, heh." she forced a chuckle.

The Loud kids began easying up at seeing their sister taking their criticism with a smile, Lori included. She could be a handful at times, but gosh was her little sister sweet to the core. Still, there was still a pink sour spot that needed to be evened out. "Did you hear that ? She said she was sorry. Now be a good sport, and do the same." Lori nudged Lola forward.

Lola's simmering anger was gone, but childish grumpiness was still at work. "Why should I ?" she sassed back, then yelped when she found Lori going nose-to-nose with her.

"Because you're the one who started arguing. Because Goat Mom would be mighty disappointed if she could see you. And because if you don't, I'm sticking that branch back into your hair and tying it with a pretty blond bow." Lori breathed heatedly, pressing her face a little more with each threat.

"Why... else ?" squeaked Lola, sweating bullets.

"NOW, Lola !" Lori commanded.

"Okay, okay !" Lola threw her hands in the air, and turned to Leni, who met her obstinate glare with a soft sheepish look. "'M s'rry..."

"With sound, please." Lori chided.

"I'm sorry !" she spat like she had some of that yucky NOT-strawberry-flavoured medication in her mouth. "There, I said it ! Happy ?!"

Leni winced slightly at the harsh tone, but kept her smile alive. "Yes, I am. Thanks Lola." She even went to rub her head affectionally, making Lola roll her eyes, but she still let her. She never said no to head scratchies.

Lori's frown deepened at the way Lola had given her apology, but decided against reprimanding her any further. If Leni said things were okay, then she didn't need to reignite the feud. Instead, she picked Lily from Lincoln, who mouthed a small apology, and turned to the others.

"Alright, now that we're litteraly done, up we go ! We've still got some way to go before we get to town, and that puzzle isn't going to solve itself."

Her siblings were all too happy to comply, and headed back up. As they passed Leni, they took the time to offer her an apologetic smile, a shoulder pat, or a friendly fist bump. Lana and Lincoln even gave her a small hug, which made Leni's smile grow. Only Lola, still sour, departed without any friendliness to dispatch.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright ?" Lori fretted, last to pass her. "I know it's not your style, but you could have had her grovel a little bit. Maybe make her promise to rearrange your wardrobe or something."

Leni giggled a bit at the image of Lola drowning in dresses and boots from last year's shop-apalooza, and shook her head. "No, it's alright. It's her tiredness speaking, I know it. If anything, I needed that wake-up call. From now on, I'll really do my best to, like, stop getting distracted, and help get us home. I promise." she swung her fist enthusiastically.

"That's all I'm asking for." Lori said warmingly. Lily gave Leni a healing smooch, and the oldest-youngest duo followed the group, leaving Leni looking at them with a grateful smile.

' _You're really lucky to have them, you know ? No matter how badly you mess up, they'll still smile and reconfort you. If only they could be that lucky with you._ '

' _…_ '

' _I mean, you, learning something ? Wow, that's a good one ! You don't learn anything. You just let it flutter inside your head for a while, then you let it fly out by your ear like a pretty butterfly, because being happy is about the only thing you can do right._ '

' _…_ '

' _Learning, ha ! Why not being able to drive while you're at it ? Yeah, how many garden gnomes did you pulverize last time ? Six, seven ? Ooooh that's right, you don't remember._ _ **You can't remember.**_ '

' _…_ '

' _How much time do you give yourself before what just happened is gone from your memory ? A day ? Three hours ?_ _ **Five minutes ?**_ _Well remember this at least, there's an easy way to avoid messing up again, and that's to say out of their way. You can do that at least, right ?_ '

Leni didn't answer. She simply followed after her siblings, with a smile she fought to keep present at all costs.

' _ **Stop bothering them, Leni. You're not worth it.**_ '

* * *

 **Author's Note : Did someone order a bruised cinammon roll ? :3**

 **Also, don't be too hard on the siblings, especially Lola. Remember, it's already quite late, and beauty sleep is required...**

 **Anyway, now to answer the Timeline question. Let me put it like this : Season 1 is entire canon, no questions asked. If I make a mistake, I'm dumb.**

 **Season 2 is also canon, to a few exceptions that I'm gonna list below.**

 **As for Season 3, apart from flashbacks that wouldn't hurt what I already have or is set to happen, none of it has happened yet. Lori is still at odds with Carol, Pop-Pop is still single, and Luna isn't doubting her dreams yet ! Well, not all of them.**

 **Now let's take a look at the anomalies you've spotted :**

 **Lana's rhubarb allergy not being mentionned : As you can guess, ' _Fool's Paradise_ ' hadn't aired yet when I wrote that little tidbit, so I didn't know about it. Maybe I'll change it, maybe not. There are no rhubarb delicacies in the Underground, so it's not like it hinders the story in any way.**

 **Luna not with Sam yet ? : Yep, she isn't, because ' _L is for Love_ ' hasn't happened yet. It's the only episode of the season that's that way, because it's needed for some events to play out later down the lane. That also means that none of the sisters have given love letters to their 'crushes'. While I have no issues with most of them, Lucy and Rocky are just too cute together, Luan... you get the point, and Lincoln and Ronnie-Anne, well-**

 **Why are Ronnie-Anne and Bobby still in Royal Woods ? : That's a tad harder to explain. ' _The Loudest Mission : Relative Chaos_ ' has happened, but Ronnie-Anne made the choice to stay in Royal Woods in the end. Why ? Because MY continuity includes my other fic, ' _It's Not a Date !_ ', which officialised Ronnie-Anne as Lincoln's girlfriend, and thus gave her that extra push in her final decision. Bare in mind that I have no problem with the canon ending, not at all. It was still very sweet, and the Casagrandes are awesome characters. But, Ronnie-Anne and Bobby still being there fits better here. And I'm too lazy to reckon the whole thing !**

 **Hope that answered your questions. If not, try asking me in the Review section, but know that I cannot reply to Guest reviews. But you can still leave one if you like.**

 **You will leave a Review... _RIGHT ?_ (* _Looking intently at you through the fourth wall_ *)**

 **Anyway, hope you appreciated this little chapter, and know that I've already got part of the next chapter in the works, so you shouldn't have to wait too long. (* _Loud laughing track_ *). Heh, don't worry. They'll get to Snowdin Town eventually ! **

**In the meantime, this is Superdimentio77, tellin' ya to party hard ! But stay in school. Maybe even do both at the same time !**


	14. Snowdin, Part 5

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 2 : Snowdin**

 **Part 5 : One last stretch (?)**

 **Author's Note :**

 **( _In front of a run-down, yet still quite animated white and blue establishement, a long line of patrons of all types, genres and mentalities had formed before its doors, blocked by a bouncer with a stare that could knock out a bull. Which he just did. It apparently wasn't tough enough._ )**

 **( _A blue-white-red jester comes up, not even half the height of the bouncer, but looking cool as all heck._ )**

 **Bouncer : Welcome to the Fanfic Spitoon, home of da toughest writer-block-benders of this here reality. How tough are ya ?**

 **Superdimentio77 ( _taking off shades_ ) : How tough am I ? I'm the SD77. Writer of LOUDERTALE.**

 **Bouncer : Oh, are ya now ?**

 **Superdimentio77 : I've just finished what is probably the second longest chapter I've ever written, all while my Finals are rolling up. And without spellcheck.**

 **Bouncer : Yeah, so ?**

 **Superdimentio77 : I wrote an entire chapter about Leni hating herself. Without crying once.**

 **Bouncer : Um, right this way sir, sorry to keep you waiting.**

 **( _Two hours later, waking up in a hospital chamber with about all his bones broken, and a face looking like an overripe Crabapple. A nurse is next to the bed._ )**

 **Superdimentio77 : What happened doc ? Did I slip on an ice cube ?**

 **Nurse : No, the patrons just figured out you hadn't uploaded in two months, despite promising you'd do things quicker this time.**

 **Superdimentio77 : And they didn't kill me for it ? Heh, suckas~ !**

 **Aaaah, don't look so sour now, I know you all love when I'm late ! Gives you more time to appreciate the work that's already here, and the one that's coming. And seeing the number of reviews and messages pressing me to make things go faster, I can only be right !**

 **But we ain't just here to say YAY to me – though that's the main point – I'm also here to say it to you ! Since last time, we've reached over 100 Faves & Follows, and over 300 reviews ! I'm famous on the internet, Ma ! You guys are... the best ! No joke here, you guys are awesome ! And I can only hope the content I bring to your virtual doorstep will appear to be just as awesome ! **

**As usual, today's chapter was supposed to be quick and straight to the point, filling the gap towards Papyrus' battle and afterbattle ( _if you know what I mean_ ). But, as usual, concise isn't my middle name. And I think it's better that way, don't you ? Have fun !**

 _ **At least more than a certain Cinammon Roll will...**_

 **The Loud House, Undertale, and the characters from both franchises are not mine. All I own are the huge doorstops between every line you recognise from the game.**

* * *

Back up the slope, Leni arrived to see that the puzzle was already in the solving : Lola, looking a good deal less grumpy, slid across the ice with the majesty she prided herself for. It looked like the ice wanted to keep her going in one direction, but a twirl was all she needed to bound in the direction she desired, and reach the little safe spots to activate the switches.

"I wonder if that's even how we're supposed to do this." Lincoln wondered out loud with a little smirk.

"Yeah, the ice was way more forceful in keeping us going straight when we were on it. Not even I could stop myself." said Lynn with a dash of annoyance at the memory.

"Hey, if it gets her to vent her troubles away, and makes us cross that pit super fast, I think we can give that logic error a pass !" chirped Lana.

"We seem to be doing this a lot, so hey, why not ?" grumbled Lisa.

"Besides, it's not a puny ice rink that's gonna stop Lola from doing what she wants. We can barely do that ourselves." Lana added sheepishly. "Except Lincoln sometimes. And you did a pretty good job out there, Lori.

"Half-baked, is litteraly more likely." sighed Lori as she took notice of Leni's return. She knew something was wrong with the grin etched on the fashionista's face, and looking at her siblings, she knew that some had noticed too, especially her brother. Thus, she felt the need to test its genuineness. "Hey Leni, want to take Lily for a couple of minutes ? I need a little break."

"O-Oh ! Are you sure you want me to..." began Leni, before internally slapping herself awake. This wasn't the time to be difficult, and make things annoying again ! "Uh, I mean, sure ! C'mere Lily !" beckoned the green-hearted teen, and swiftly took the cooing toddler in her arms.

That stammering beginning wasn't lost on the Loud group, but the happiness their sister was now displaying seemed genuine enough. Looking at eachother, the siblings shrugged. ' _Well, if Leni's worried about something, it musn't be too bad that we can worry about it later on._ ' was the conclusion reached.

A noisy _Click_ rang, followed by the sound of the ice bridge repairing itself, indicating Lola's success. The primpy ice mistress gave a little bow to her siblings' applause. "Ah, it's good to be under the spotlight again. Who knows ? Maybe I can make that awful haircut work !" Lola giggled, for about two seconds, before cringing at her reflection in the frozen floor. "Nope. Not in a bajillion years."

"Be proud of your scars, sis !" Lynn rubbed it in with a little snicker, as it was quite hard to take a shot at 'Miss Prim and Perfect'.

"I'M GONNA GIVE YOU SOME IF YOU KEEP THAT UP !" barked Lola. "Now hurry up, or I'm crossing that bridge without you !"

In order to uphold the third rule of their original Underground code, and not having to redo the puzzle by themselves, the kids quickly joined Lola one by one, with Leni at the tail. For the time being, it was judged necessary to put some distance between the two blondes. Classic Sister Fight Protocole, although the anger was pretty one-sided this time around.

Looking at the now deployed ice bridge, a pang of fear resonated through the group, to a few exceptions, at how eerily dark the path was. Rows upon rows ofundreds of shadowy branches shaped like claws hung dangerousely close from the pathway, and only a dull faraway light indicated the end of the tunnel. Of course, the chilling sight brought a pale smile to life.

"I wonder how many of us will emerge from the other side." Lucy mused to everybody's dismay.

"Thanks Lucy, we really needed that." Lori said dryly, swatting at her sister's black bangs.

"Welp, we did say we'd follow eachother with our eyes closed. I think we're just about to find out if that's true." chuckled the peppy clownette. Despite rolling their eyes like clockwork, everybody did feel a bit better hearing that.

The kids joined hands, and began forming a line, as the bridge was a bit too narrow to let them pass as one big human mess, especially with those humans' bad habit of pushing eachother when personal boundaries were crossed. And don't get them started on Lola and Lana. "Here goes nothing !" Lincoln boldly said, leading the slide. And at first, it was going quite swiftly. "Well, it's not so bad."

"Yeah, I really thought- Wow ! I think something poked me, dudes !"

"EEP ! Me too ! Did you see who it was, Lily ?"

"'Now ! 'Now !"

"Well whoever's touching my hair better stop ! I'm enough of a freak right now."

"* _Tomboy growls at someone grabbing at her hat*_ "

"The trees are coming to life. Judging our sins, and, urgh, being very intrusive."

"Twigs off, tree weirdos ! Or I'm gonna make wood chipping out of them !"

"Does anyone feel this unusual cold on the top of our craniums, despite our headwear ?"

"It's giving me _chills_ , alright !"

"Hang on tight everyone, we're almost there !"

True to Lori's words, the Louds all emerged from the forest, unscathed and with all their stuff still on them and in their bags, to their relief. But if anything, something had been added rather than substracted, as they soon discovered.

"Woah ! Looks like those were _tree_ signers after all, hahaha !" chortled Luan, as she admired the fool's hat made of snow that now rested over her earmuffs, with the bells having the mysterious shape of hot-dogs. She giggled some more as she saw some of the other models presented to her :

Lori had very familiar long ears and little horns.

Luna had long untamed hair over her beanie, with a long strand covering herright eye, and a star around her left.

Lynn sported an American football helmet with flames, and a shark surfing on them.

Lucy had a little Napstablook face poking from underneath her hood, making the young poet blush.

Lola had a crown bigger than her whole body, _nearly_ matching her ego.

Lisa had a graduation hat, the little tassel itching against her left cheek. The hat also had cat ears, for some reason ?

And Lily had a round hat with her initial above its peak, and a small mustache under her nose. She suddenly felt the need to get a vaccum cleaner and capture some ghosts.

"Aww yeah, shout it out loud, mates !" Luna head-banged, sticking her tongue all the way out.

"I'll say ! Whoever did this has taste ! Could be bigger though..." Lola caressed her crown, rubbing her hand against the round and crescent-shaped motifs. But as she admired her reflection, she caught that little detail added to her spooky sis' gear. "Hey Lucy, your feelings are showing." she showed Lucy her reflection, making her "gasp" and immediately hide the little SnowBlook behind her back.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. There is nothing in my chest but the cold void of Darkness itself." she rebuked in a dark and omnious tone, which only learned an amused eye roll from Lola. When she turned away for some more admiring, Lucy brought the little ghost to her field of vision again. She blamed those sad round eyes for her blush, and his cute little mouth for the small hug she gave him.

"Leni's ain't so bad either." Lynn gently elbowed her big sister, referencing to the peaked cap encompassing her woolly hat. "I think _he_ will like the message."

Confused, Leni took the cap off, and looked at the front. It read ' _Papyrus' #1 Fan..._ '. She giggled dreamingly, bashfully curling her hair with the same hand. She wondered if Papyrus already had a fan club, and if so, where she needed to sign to hop on the Hunk Express, and most likely run for President. Best to cover all the steps to get close to him.

As she twirled it, she noticed something written on the back as well, and was most excited to find out-

' _…And #1 Loud_ _ **airhead**_ _._ '

Oh. Right. Leni let the cap fall to the ground, and watched it crumble into nothingness. She was clumsy like that.

"Looks like they weren't very inspired with me." Lincoln remarked, finding nothing adorning his head, but he shrugged it off. Fashion changes wasn't exactly his gusto, as his orange and blue wardrobe could tell. But as he mulled over the Déja-vu vibes Lily's new facial hairiness was giving out, he felt something cold wrapped around his neck. Touching it, he revealed a small chain made of snow.

"Huh, what do you know ? I thought I'd get a superhero mask or something." he mused, as he followed the necklace down to his chest. There, he felt something bigger, and craddled the form into his palm. "Let's see what we have-"

Suddenly, he felt his fist closing on the mysterious shape, effectively crushing it into mere powder. The small chain followed soon after, and all Lincoln was left was crushed snow in his hand and questions bubbling in his head. One thing he was sure of : he hadn't meant to do that at all, which meant-

* _You crushed what was a perfect Ace Savvy necklace. Be more careful next time._

Lincoln didn't reply, but he made sure to let his inner narrator know that he wasn't buying it. Their tone was too frosty and defensive to be free of secrecy. And, well, while the form had met the characteristics of Ace Savvy's trademark logo...

 _He was pretty sure the pointy part of a spade was supposed to go up, not down._

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." moaned Lori, looking at Lana's hat over her own hat. Except it wasn't a hat, but the snow equivalent of a familiar little dog, and his irksome smile. "I'm guessing you're still in needs of petting." she said to the grinning little blonde.

"Hey, there might be more dogs eager for some belly rubs ahead, and I'm the girl who can give them !" Lana proudly beamed, to which Lori couldn't fight off a smile. At least she was having fun.

"At least it's litteraly good to see _him_ not moving." drawled Lori, kneeling to meet the snow dog's beady little eyes with certain annoyance. That mutt had been nothing but trouble since they had come here, and he hadn't pulled any favours from her earlier. Next time he would be that close, she would-

* _Lick !_ *

-not freeze up with an agape expression, like she was doing at the moment. Then again, one would do that if an unmoving snow dog suddenly licked their face, winked at them, then let itself crumble into powder, with the other hats and snowcrafts following right after it. A look at her siblings' stiff and surprised expressions indicated her that she wasn't the only one to have seen that strange scene unfold, both a relieving and irking thought.

"That dog is starting to get to levels of annoying I didn't even think was litteraly possible." Lori huffed tiredly. Standing up, she took notice of the dual pathway the small platform offered. One kept going straight ahead, the other one went down to their right. The choice was pretty easy. "Let's see, that monster said he was going to Snowdin Town, and he went that way. Which means..."

"We've gotta go that way first !" claimed Lincoln, pointing to the descending path.

"What ? No, he went this way !" Lori indicated the other path. "We clearly saw it, Lincoln. Oh wait, don't tell me, we ' _need to explore everything_ ', right ?"

Lincoln took in the tired looks of her sisters, and attempted to soothe their spirits. "I know it sounds redundant, but what if we miss on something important ? A treasure, an info, even just a monster that can tell us of a strong monster's weakness ! We could be missing on something that could save our lives, just like it saved us back then."

The girls had to nod and concede him that, except for the only sibling legally behind the wheel. Lily just merrily clapped along. "Wait, come again ?" asked Lori.

"It's kinda hard to explain, but trust Lincs on this one : a random talk with a frog can make a world of difference." smiled Lana, wondering if she should be writing this down for future generations, or just to win an argument later on.

"Well... I guess that exploring Toriel's belongings did give me an edge at the end. The _talking_ part, I mean." Lori threw a glare at Luan, who raised her hands defensively. Even she had her limits in popping up dark humour. "In any case, I guess you're right. Let's just hope the worst we'll find is a full bucket of disappointment."

"Wouldn't it be empty then ?" cheekily threw in Luna, earning a playful palm from Lori pressing her cheek.

"Treasure or disappointment is fine with me. I can spend the former, and I'm made of the latter." Lucy quipped, sorrowfully grieving the departure of her SnowBlook. Lucy Loud couldn't have nice things.

On those cheerful words, the siblings quickly vacated the area, some with curiosity in their hearts, others mourning their hats, and one staying at the back of the group, not wanting to get in the way.

* * *

The new path seemed to turn right again and trail along a large cliff wall, with some bizzarely-shaped holes in it. Snow was there, as usual. And just as per usual, Sans was there to greet his new comedy buddies, with only one of them enjoying her position.

"yo. what brings you kiddos to the cliffside ?" Sans lazily saluted. "you know that snowdin's the other way, right ?"

"We are well aware of this fact, _Sans._ " said Lisa, hissing the jokester's name. She didn't dare asking how he had passed across the gap without activating the ice bridge, something they would have heard despite Lola's tantrum. He would find a way to use her own words to mock her, he could see it in those sneaky eyesockets. "We just happen to be exploring on our brother's request."

"your brother, eh ? you sure you ain't the one wanting to follow me around ?" Sans winked.

Scratch that, it seemed she didn't even need to accuse him of something ! "What hokum are you going on about now ?!" sputtered Lisa, seeing red.

"no need to be shy, pointdexter." Sans teasingly pinched her cheek, irking the little genius to no ends. "you're a little young, but i appreciate the thought. try about fifteen years later, okay ? and pro tip, bring chocolates. they can really help _sweeten_ the deal."

(* _Rimshot_ *)

"Hahaha, oh Sans ! Is there any joke you _candy_?" cracked Luan, before sending herself into another session of rowdy laughter.

" _ **So**_ , before Lisa manages to wriggle free, and inflincts you whatever it is she's saying," Lori designated the stomping prodigy that was muttering profanities in several dead languages under her breath and being held back by Lynn and Lana, "is there anything litteraly worth seeing over there ?"

"eh, not much to be honest. just a whole lot of insight about life itself. and a good deal if you're a nerd. maybe." Sans gave a knowing side-grin.

The kids, with the exception of Luan and Lily, rolled their eyes at the cryptic talk, and wisefully chose to ignore it. It would be slapping them in the face either way, might as well avoid a headache to top it off. "Might still be worth a peek." concluded Lana, calmly stroking Lisa's hair. Which made her purr for some reason.

"Onward, then !" boldly waved Lincoln, still leading the march. But as they departed, Sans seemed to remember something.

"oh yeah, don't forget to be kind to the elderly, kids. they ain't lookin' for originality, just something nice that matters."

Luna's eyebrow shot to the sky. "What is he on about this ti-"

" _Would you brats be quiet ?!_ "

"Aaah ! Old Lady Johnson !" Lynn cried in alarm, diving behind Leni for protection. "That old crone already took Steven, she won't take another one from me !"

"' _Steven_ ' ?" murmured Lola to her brother's ear.

"Her lucky baseball glove when she was six. It was one heck of a Thursday." answered Lincoln, before looking at the camera. "And if you're asking, yes. Lynn does name her lucky belongings. _All of them._ "

* _Naming socks. How scandalous !_

The creature that was scolding our heroes was not Old Lady Johnson, but someone just that little more friendly to meet, even if her appearance didn't betray that fact very well. The monster had the general anatomy of a deer, but it seemed like Picasso had given her his iconic little touch. Not an inch of fur covered her peachy skin with a couple of black spots on her back. Her weird noodly legs ended in weird little stubs instead of hooves. Her reddish antlers took its french equivalent to the next level, having actual tiny pine trees on them, two pointy ears between them, and a minuscule pair of eyes at their roots. In the pine trees were tinsels, a candy cane, and a stocking. A large sticker was glued on her forehead, and a small purple box had been roughly strapped pnto her back.

But the most proeminent feature in weirdness had to be her mouth opening sideways, revealing the dry pointy teeth inside. And just above it, a bigger pair of slitted eyes sending a scornful glare at the kids, making them feel uneasy.

"Is that supposed to be a Christmas monster ? Because if so, she looks like a reindeer toy that got placed a little too close to the fireplace." whispered Lola critically.

"What was that ?!" exclaimed the old-sounding monster, taking Lola by surprise and making her retreat behind Lynn, already hiding herself. The monster gnashed her teeth. "Darn bratty kids. All the same, that's what I say ! Did you come to make fun of me too ?!"

Lincoln blinked. "Make fun of you ? You've got it all wrong, we're just trying to pass through-"

"LIES !" boomed the crabby reindeer, stumbling a bit to the side. "I know how you whippersnappers work. You wait until the 'old coot' is getting her afternoon nap, and then you busy yourselves crippling me ! And don't think I don't see you back there, gosh darn teenagers ! I bet you love to set mean pranks, just to get a cheap laugh ! No respect, I say !"

"That's crazy talk, we would never do that ! I mean, maybe Luan when she goes April Fools Whacko, but even then, she never targets old people !" rebuked Luna, before gaining a thoughtful frown. "Though, come to think of it, there never was any elderly peeps during any of those days, so it's hard to tell..."

"Aha ! You call me crazy, yet you admit your crimes ! Who's the crazy one here ?!" cried the old crone in triumph.

"Uh, still you ? You're getting on our cases for no reason, we weren't even being noisy ! We were just discussing with our good friend Sans over there, and having a _ribbing_ good time !" said Luan in indignation.

The monster looked to the side for a second, then turned back with an even deeper scowl. "Do I look like I've lost my marbles ? _What friend ?!_ "

"He did not..." drawled Lisa as she slowly rotated her head, to find no one standing against the cliff wall, and no print of a slipper to indicate that the lazybones had ever been there.

"Of course he did." mumbled Lori with an aggravated forehead rub. She feared that if she opened her eyes, Sans would be just standing behind the old monster, grinning while they would try to prove his existence to her and he'd just keep disappearing each time she'd turn her head, like with those two guys from her dad's old black-and-white comedy series, to which she apparently owed her name to.

When she opened them, no Sans. Relief washed over her for that fact alone, but disappeared under the constricted smile she put for the glowering reindeer. "Would you believe us if we said he disappeared when you were not looking ?"

"No." the monster coldly cut.

"Can we turn back to get off your frozen lawn, and never come back ?" attempted Lana.

" **No.** "

"You're going to try teaching us a lesson for all the others, aren't you ?" Lucy accepted her fate, a dark one. She was right on the nail, so to speak, as the monster's lower pair of eyes gave a glint, and the rainbow of SOULs was summoned forward. "Sigh, it's a martyr life for me."

* _"Gyftrot naggingly confronts you !"_

 **Fight engaged !**

"That Christmas monster dude is seriously lacking in the jolliness department." said Luna. "Looks like all that detour is earning us is another scuffle. Uh, not blaming you, bro." she hastily added while patting the boy's head.

Lincoln sighed, but appreciated the effort. "Let's make this quick, then. I'm still positive there's something to find that way." he assured, before activating a _Check_ to know more about the now-named grouchy monster.

* _"Gyftrot. ATK 16, DEF 8. Looks like she was decorated by some teens as a prank. She seems ready to give back from high and low. Will you give in return ?"_

"Oh yeah, her paranoia against kids suddenly makes a whole lot more sense." nodded Lola. "I'd be grouchy too if that happened to me."

"A prank ? That's like... not very nice." Leni quietly remarked, before that little voice acted up again. ' _Way to state up the obvious, Sherlock. Want to say the sky is blue too ? Ah, but there is no sky right now. Gee, think a little, will ya ?_ '

"It's kinda hard to judge." quipped Luan, a renowned pranking veteran herself. "Harrassing old people is kinda pushing it, but this prank looks harmless. Now if they had attached a rope of frying pans to her back, then they would have been _cooked_ ! Hahaha, get it ?"

"Yeah, but I think it's not the first time. She looks way too annoyed for that." Lincoln analysed, a renowned prank victim veteran himself. First banana pie splattering against his face ? Surprising. Fourth one ? Amusing and delicious ! Two-hundred and firty-fifth one ? _Must. Crush. Desire. To. Fling it. Back._

"And I'm not going to let it happen again !" bellowed Gyftrot, eavesdropping on the humans' conversation. "Rrrgh, when I'm done with you hooligans, your behinds will be so red, you'll feel sore every time you'll simply think about pulling a prank !"

Before the siblings could even imagine how that would feel, three large presents materialised between them and the nagging reindeer, leaving little space between them. Two of the boxes were white and ready to hurt, while the one on the left was coloured a familiar cyan, but not for long. Its colour blinked to white, and the boxes started to shuffle. But one white-haired boy couldn't be fooled that easily.

"Guys, keep your eyes on the one that was blue. That's our ticket to safety." Lincoln whispered his strategy, and his sisters acknowledged it with a nod and readying themselves.

Christmas was coming early, and quite quickly so !

The moment the boxes stopped moving left and right, they shot forward like cannon balls. Right when they did, the special box unveiled its true colours once more, being the one on the right. Seeing this, the kids made a mad dive for it, then had to completely immobilize themselves for the present to harmlessly pass through. In a rare event of circumstances, none of the kids had received any damage.

"Good quick thinking, everyone." Lori complimented, prompting some cheers and high-fives.

Gyftrot, on the other hand, was positively seething. She was supposed to teach them a lesson, and yet they were still in high spirits, brushing her threats aside. "Don't think you're out of trouble yet ! If I didn't have these things on my head, you'd be sorry !"

"We kinda are right now." Luna said truthfully, watching in pity the monster's trembling legs and awkward shuffling. She truly looked like a poor animal that had been unjustly crippled, and the thought of her attitude being the one of a bitter and lonely grandma that her family had abandonned _**on Christmas**_ wasn't helping. "Dude- I mean, _miss_ , maybe you should lay down a little. You don't look fresh." Luna beckoned soothingly, but Gyftrot wouldn't have it.

"Don't tell me how I look ! It's you youngsters' fault if I'm like this !"

"Then let us help you !" cried Lana, her SOUL aching even more at the wounded animal feeling the monster was giving. "If those hurt so bad, then let us remove them. We'll be done in ten seconds flat, and then you'll feel a whole lot better." But as Lana approached a little too quickly, and without an ACTion chosen, Gyftrot nastily snapped her teeth at her, making the little blonde jump back. Her pitiful look however, didn't deter in the least. "C'mon..."

"It'll be a cold day in _Hotland_ before I let you little hooligans lay a hand on me ! Get any closer, and I can guarantee you won't be using those hands for quite some time ! I-"

But as she pestered and ranted, Gyftrot got a little too riled up for her own good. This threw her balance over even more, as well as her body's. Her wrath died down as she desperately tried to keep herself standing, but ended up entangling her legs, and sent herself to the ground with a dull _thump._ The kids gasped old lady's fall, and watched as she feebly tried and failed to bring herself back up again. Her antlers were too sullied and heavy.

She couldn't make good on her threats, walk away, or even make herself threatening. All Gyftrot could do was looking old and pathetic, and she knew it. The monster released a long sigh, let defeat takes its course, and whispered hollowly to herself. " _A little alone time. Is it truly too much to ask ?_ "

This proved finally too much for the siblings' hearts to handle. That monster needed help, whether she liked it or not. Lily got to that conclustion too, and forced Leni closer to the ACT Button. Gyftrot's name was selected, and she chose the _Assistance_ option, all the signal they needed to rush to the monster's help.

"Whu- hey ! Did you not listen to me ?! I told you-"

"We heard you, and we don't care ! You need assistance, and by the Hippocratic Oath, you are going to receive it !" rebuked Lisa, pushing the monster's head up with her back.

Gyftrot's rant died in her throat. Kids, helping very ol' her, without any second thought or childish plan ? Grown-up monsters, she could understand. Why, with that big tradition they made just to make her feel better. But kids ? And moreover... _with those coloured SOULs ?_ That, she couldn't understand.

But that didn't seem to matter to the humans, as they lifted the crabby monster into a sitting position, and took a step back. They could see that while Gyftrot still seemed distrustful of them, newfound curiosity confounded with confusion was now sparkling in her eyes, something they could work with.

"Look, we get that you've got it rough today, it's been really hard for us too. We've been attacked and stalked more than we are comfortable with, all in one afternoon." Lincoln chuckled, feeling more awkward about how not awkward he felt saying it. Shaking his head, he continued. "And I know it's hard for you to trust us, for a number of reasons. But if you want those things off your head, you don't have a choice. You're gonna have to give us a chance."

Gyftrot's resilience wavered, as she knew the boy was right. She wanted nothing more than those burdens taken off her, and thrown down the ravine so she could look down and laugh at it. But her reputation as a stubborn old dame hadn't been built on gossip and fantasies, not at all. "What do you get out of it ?" she probbed for any sign of maliciousness, but found herself empty-hooved.

"The satisfaction of doing what's right." said Lucy, trying to blame Toriel for that cheesy line, then accepted that she couldn't. Looking at the little pine trees, she even let a chuckle escape and fly away into the darkness. "Plus, let's just say you remind us of a certain old coot that isn't nearly as crabby and bitter as he likes to suggest."

"He still has his price though, but it's nothing a little dish of lasagna can't buy." said Lola, still in good spirits.

"Gabla bah." cooed Lily adorably.

"' _We just want to help._ '" translated Luan with her own warm smile.

The honesty of an infant; how could Gyftrot fight against this ? At last, her defiance collapsed on itself, and she leant her head forward. Her antlers were now unguarded and within reach for the humans to touch, who understood the message. "Make it quick. Ten seconds flat, like the little dirt monkey said. And if it turns out to be a stupid prank after all, so help me, the butts of your grandchildrens' grandchildrens will feel _it_."

"Then for their sake, let's get cookin'." Luna snapped her fingers, and was already deep in the ACT menu to choose _Undecorate_. As soon as she did, the work quickly began. The rocker went for the plump stocking first, and discovered an unusual gift inside. "I didn't know monsters shared chicken nuggets for the Holidays."

"Chicken nuggets ? Aww, sweet !" said Lynn as she swiftly swiped the sock with a greedy lick of her lips. "Score one for the Lynn-sanity, whoo !"

"Dude, you're really gonna eat that ? It doesn't even look cooked." Luna stuck her tongue out in mild disgust.

Lynn shrugged. "Never stopped me before. Remember, you're speaking to a hoagie master. And hey, it's not drowned in purple horror sauce this time."

"True that." conceded Luna, but still had to cringe as she watched Lynn stuffing her face with dirty pieces of fried enigma. She didn't how much chicken was in there, but she could clearly spot all the hair stuck on them. Luna could only hope Monster Food was easier on the stomach in general.

"Looks like Lesser Dog lost some of his snacks." said Lana as she removed the small purple box, that turned out to be another box of Pomeraisins. Realising she hadn't tasted any yet, she popped one into her mouth. "Mmmh, that's the good stuff right there."

"Really ? Let me try." said Lola, trying one as well. But as soon as it grazed her tongue, she roughly spat it out and batted at her tongue to erase the taste. "Why did I think it would taste anything other than _dog treats_ ?!" she berated herself in-between hacks and sputters.

"Vanilla-flavoured dog treats, sis." corrected Lana, and then scooped another handful for the pleasure of her tastebuds, and the nightmare of Lola's.

With some help from her oldest sister, Lily happily snatched the little candy cane. The sweet was not alien to her, as she would occasionnaly snatched one from her sisters' pockets once they got close enough to the ground. That had led to some nasty accusations and arguments. Or so she was told. She would be too busy letting the sweet taste rolling down her tongue.

But when she took her first lick, she found the jolly flavour seriously lacking. That didn't taste like any sweets she knew ! And yet, she faintly remembered the sour taste from somewhere. Yes, during her teething sessions. She remembered those. Her siblings remembered. Luna's guitar and Lincoln's Ace Savvy Golden Collector Figurine remembered. But where ?

"What have you got here, little lady ?" said Lori in amusement, to which Lily replied with a distasteful raspberry. Something seemed wrong with the treat, Lily wasn't known to be picky about them. So Lori, kneeling down to reach Lily's level, decided to taste it herself, and was met with the same _woody_ flavour. "Eww, that's no candy ! Not even Auth Ruth's are that awful !" she litteraly spat. This wasn't right, monster could make delicious sweets, sometimes even more so than their human equivalents. Maybe there was something she was missing ? Perhaps it was the little inscription on the side that she was only noticing now.

"' _I walk with that tiny cane_ ' ?" Lori squinted at it, before her eyes widened. She'd been right, this was no candy cane. This was a wooden cane coloured like one ! Another deception straight from the Underground. But that still left one question unawnsered. To whom did this cane belong to ?

Lily awnsered that with a hearty tug on her sister's pants. Lori looked down, and followed to the spot she was pointing at. There, next to her leg, stood a little grey mouse clothed in a tiny coat, with tiny shoes, tiny gloves, and a tiny fedora on her head. The wrinkles on her face, her wobbling legs, and the lopsided grin she was giving to the blond giant told enough about what she wanted back.

"O-Oh, I see ! Here you go." uttered the startled Loud as she handed back the cane to its owner. The mouse tipped off her fedora respectfully, and teetered to a little hole in the cliffside, one of the many interconnected together by a complex network of tunnels that spreaded through the caves of Mount Ebott.

No time to waste, there was some old cheese somewhere with her name on it !

Luan surprised even herself when, instead of reaching for the more smile-inducing decorations wrapped around Gyftrot's antlers, she went for the mysterious picture stuck on the old monster's forehead. Her instincts had flared up looking at it from a few feet away, and looking at it now, they proved right once again. It was a family picture, with a kind of monster birds the jokester recognised immediately. Her pupil was easily reconizable at the bottom, even though he was a good deal younger.

On the left, a larger version of the little Snowy, but his feathers a lighter shade of blue, a purple bow tie around his neck, and a large pair of round glasses. She deduced that this was the famous ' _Dad_ ' her apprentice was so upset about. ' _But he doesn't seem that bad. He's got the look of a goofy dad that appreciates a slice of good humour._ ' she thought with a tiny grin tugging at her lips, rembering her own old man. And oh, how happy they looked here ! Surely Snowdrake's initial bad comedy skills couldn't have been the main deal that drove such a gap between all that joy.

But then came the third figure in this happy little picture. With a slightly smaller frame than her husband, she was looking at her offspring with a tender smile. Luan didn't have much of an opinion about purple despite the brunette she shared her room with, but she had to admit it suited the monster very well, giving her a certain beauty.

' _Shame that Snowdrake never brought her in the conversation._ ' Luan wondered if she should ask about her next time she'd cross paths with him...

" _Ow !_ "

The sound of their brother immediately kicked the girls' senses into high alert. They turned to look at him, and found the boy nursing his gloved index by putting it inside his mouth. "I'm alright. That tinsel is just really prickly." explained Lincoln before he could be wrapped into another smothering 'get-better' session.

Prickly wasn't something Lucy frowned upon easily ( _more than usual anyway_ ), so she gave it a quick poke. It turned out this was more thorny than prickly, but giving it a closer look quickly explained that fact. She had been to enough rubbish dumps to know the real nature of the decorations. "This isn't tinsel. It's barbed wire." she monotoned, but they could feel she was just as shocked as them.

"Hold on, those hooligans wrapped barbed wire around that poor creature's head ? This both qualifies as assault and animal cruelty !" exclaimed Lisa in outrage.

"I bet it was _Jerry_." Lynn scornfully accused.

"Lincoln's ghost narrator said it was a **bunch** of teenagers though." Lana noted.

"Who's good with blaming it all on Jerry ?" Lori's roll call got an immediate show of twelve hands, plus one hoof. It seemed the distaste for Jerry truly crossed all barriers.

"Well, let's get rid of it already !" Lola called to arms. Multicoloured gloves and mittens took a careful hold of the thorny roll, hoistered it off Gyftrot's antlers, not without a hiss from her, and swiftly tossed it over the edge of the cliff, never to be seen or heard of again. The kids' pride only swelled when they saw bitterness no longer clouding Gyftrot's eyes, as realisation settled in.

"It's... It's gone. It's all gone ! Oh, it feels like a weight has been lifted !" she rejoiced as she jumped back on her hooves and began hopping around in joy. Her legs didn't buckle under the effort, nor did she once feel out of breath. By diggity, she felt 50 years younger !

"Feeling better, I assume ?" Lori said with faint smugness in her tone. Upon hearing this, Gyftrot ceased her happy dance, and caught the sight of children grinning at her newfound joy. They looked a little too proud for the monster's liking.

"B-Bah ! Not too shabby, for a bunch of brats." Gyftrot harumphed, still subborn as a mule. But it was nothing the kids hadn't expected.

* _"Gyftrot is feeling peaceful again."_

"I guess our work's done here." grinned Lynn as she saw Gyftrot's golden name. But as Lincoln was going to end the kerfuffle between humans and monster, a glum sensation passed through the floating hearts, and shot down the brunette's broad grin. "I guess not. Uh, am I the only one feeling like we're missing something here ?"

"Glad I ain't the only one. It feels all weird in my stomach, I thought it was the treats." quipped Lana, disappointed in herself for doubting those succulent raisins. "It feels like we're leaving something unfinished. Like a jigsaw puzzle that's only got two pieces left to fit in."

"Or a thesis without a proper conclusion." added Lisa, getting a weird look from the little tomboy. "And that conclusion most likely would be that we still have something to do. Perhaps akin to what we did with that Migosp fellow."

"But what can we do ?" Luan asked the million-Gold question. She doubted her comedian expertise would be doing any good to an old lady who just wanted to be left alone.

But the need for a little quiet time was something the Detective Duo of the Loud House were known to wish for. And it wasn't long before the two started cogitating in the shadows to shed some light on the situation. "Let's go through the facts, partner : we've got a grumpy old lady monster who wants some quiet on her lawn, and who has just started mellowing down on us. What else can we do to make her trust us, apart of tailing out of here ?" whispered Lincoln.

Lucy tugged at her hood, lost in thought. "Perhaps we need to make an offering ?" she suggested. When she caught Lincoln's deadpan expression, she added, "As in a gift. That Christmas look is a huge hint at that."

"Oh yeah, good idea ! Problem is, what can we give her ?" Lincoln pondered out loud. "I doubt she needs any clothing or hat, not after we just took everything off her."

"Maybe food ? We still have those donut bits that Lesser Dog didn't touch." Lucy offered.

"Maybe, but those might be too sugary for her liking. What if she can't digest it ?" The last thing Lincoln wanted was a lecture about the dangers of sucrose, and the great benefits of celeri to counter it. Lisa already gave him enough of those to guilt-trip him into releasing any chocolate chip cookie he could get his hands on. A random question suddenly popped into his mind. "Wait, can monster food even cause indigestion ?"

"Answering that question would require us to eat some of Papyrus' culinary disasters. And those are risks of instant passing away that even I'm not willing to put myself through." Lucy concluded with a shudder. She wasn't even sure the afterlife would want her if that poison was to taint her SOUL.

"There's gotta be something we can give her !" Lincoln rubbed his temples in budding frustration, trying to get his brain and its ghastly inhabitant to give him an answer.

"Maybe we just need to make the thought counts, while giving her something not-so-thoughtful. A lazy gift, if you will." Lucy recited cryptically, hinting at Sans' own cryptic advice.

"Friendship ?"

"Not that lazy. Or cheesy. Blegh."

"Cash ?"

Lucy nodded. "Exactly. Enough worth and possibilities to make the offered forget all about the clear lack of thought and investment put into the gift."

"That's a great idea- wait, is this about your sixth birthday again ?" Lincoln squinted at her, then groaned when she saw her crossing her arms. "Seriously ? After all this time ? I keep telling you, the store closed sooner that I expected !"

"I won't grace that excuse with words. Instead, I'll let the lack of ' _Little Bloody Mary_ ' on my shelves speak for me." Lucy said with a frosty tone that sent chills down to Lincoln's toes. The grudge was still strong in that one.

With a nod and a quick promise from brother to grave-digger, the duo exposed their plan to their siblings, which received mixed receptions. Ultimately though, they knew the decision was in the purse guardian's hands.

"Money ? I don't know..." Lori creased her brow in thought. While the idea had potential, throwing money away was a rather hazardous decision. Weren't fights supposed to get them money from monsters, and not the other way around ? Staying in Snowdin Town was going to cost money, she knew that. Monsters were nice, but she doubted someone else would pull a Toriel and give them all the food they needed for absolutely zip.

Well, perhaps to the exception of the one on a constant sugar rush, but they couldn't risk it. Papyrus may be harmless and a very nice soul, but he still wanted to capture them, and the prospect of waking up inside a ' _Human Imprisoning Equipement_ ' was something that would keep her restless all night. And she was NOT going to meet a litteral King with bags under her eyes, not for all the spaghetti in the world !

"It doesn't have to be much, just a little something from all of us that shows we care." chirped Luna, being one of the most positive about the plan.

"Yes, what care we show." Lisa uttered, her mouth dripping with sarcasm at the budget-crippling idea. "Cold-hearted money is known to warm one's spirits, that's a given."

"Got some oatmeal-flavoured grass under that hat, little dudette ?" asked Luna with hands on her hips.

"No ?" said Lisa, raising an eyebrow that demanded to know where she was going with this.

"Got any better idea then ?"

"...No."

"Then cash ain't soundin' so bad, does it ?" Luna smirked, watching Lisa slumping her shoulders, which all but indicated the rocker's victory.

"Outvoting me by using my own intellect. I applaud you, madam." Lisa did just that, not without an obligatory hint of childish moodiness.

"She _owned_ you for sure, hehe. But Luna's right, just a little dough off our pockets won't hurt us. After all, you know us, we _donut_ give up !" Luan chortled.

Lori knew how _half-baked_ that pun was – she needed to save that one – but she knew the jokester meant well, in addition of being right. A small show of appreciation, it was the least they could do for this cranky old lady. So, with a shrug of her shoulders, she brought the purse out of her bag, brushed the last few white hairs left on it, and opened it to look at its glimmering contents.

' _But how much is a_ little _dough ? We can't exactly be giving her pocket money._ ' Lori snapped her fingers. In her mind. She could so do that, shut up. ' _I know just the amount._ ' "Lincoln, cup your hands for a second, will you ?"

"Sure." Lincoln obeyed, and watched the little coins drop into his hands with curiosity. "34, 35, 36 ? Why 36 ?"

"Trust me, this is litteraly perfect." said Lori with a knowing grin. "Let's just say we're giving up on Day 8."

"We're giving up now ? Make up your mind already !" exclaimed a miffled Lana, annoyed at being kept off the loop. She didn't know how Leni kept such a sweet smile through it all the time.

"Don't sweat the small stuff, little sister." Lori patted the pouting tomboy's cap. Her grin then morphed into a thoughtful frown as she looked at the small but impressive sum in her brother's hands. "Now there's only the matter of giving it to her."

"Well..." drawled Lincoln, turning his eyes to the ACT button that he could swear was calling out to him. "Making it our turn would be a good start." Summoning his long experience of picking snacks for multiple raveneous girls at once, he extended a leg to press it, chose _Gyftrot_ 's name, and adroitly selected the _Gift_ that had just appeared.

Suddenly, a wave of energy washed over all present, which included the elderly monster, who shook off the tingling with a bout of grumbling about how cold the snow really was. She took no notice of the couple of white sparkles that escaped her body, which went straight for the pile of golden coins. The kids were understandibly surprised, and even more so when the Gold began to glow. Lincoln's red SOUL, the closest of the bunch, returned the glow for an instant, then transferred it to its colourful outline, which in turn sent it to the ten hearts around.

But that was like, normal kind of weird at this point, underwhelming even. Hearts glowing in a pattern like Christmas lights ? Surprising, but hardly shocking.

But what happened right after after the glowing process went in reverse was a whole other matter. When the outline had been flashing, ten colourful sparkles came out of it, swirled around the Gold, and formed, _I'll give you three guesses_ , a _gift box_! A cubic, multicoloured gift box, with a cover and everything, except for the ribbon around it.

It wasn't forgotten for long though, as Lincoln's SOUL gingerly provided it in the form of two red translucid arms, with crimson ribbon at the tip of their fingers. They swiftly, but neatly, wrapped it around the box like they had done so a million times before, and finished with a cute little bow on top with the loops in the shape of hearts. Finally, as quickly as they appeared, they retracted into the red floating heart and disappeared along with the glow.

The silence that accompanied the general jaw-dropping lasted a solid dozen of seconds, until Lynn refocused on her bearings with a casual snort.

"Huh. That's going to make the gift-wrapping for Mom and Dad's next anniversary a whole lot easier." she optimistically deduced.

"That's... not how I would've put it, but I suppose that's a good point." Lucy nodded with the faintest trace of excitement. Oh, if only she could've touched it...

The brunette then caught the rest of her siblings still giving her very weird looks. "What ? It's freaky, but helpful. Let's just roll with it, that's we've been doing all day."

Lynn made a very good point, they had to give her that. Only another footnote on the freakish factor list. But Lincoln wasn't so dismissive, as there was one detail he managed to notice off the ghastly arms, even as they'd moved so quickly. Their sleeves.

 _Their long **striped** sleeves._

' _Um... cool packaging. Do you do it often ?_ ' Lincoln knew he wasn't actually going to get an answer out of the strange ghost child, but hey, it didn't hurt to-

* _You only need a good teacher._

Lincoln's eyes widened to sizes he rarely attained. ' _Did... you just answer me ?_ '

* _..._

' _N-Not that it's bad ! In fact, you should do it more often ! It's nice. A bit unsettling, you being a ghost and all, but nice._ '

* _..._

Lincoln sighed. Perhaps he'd get them to come around someday. But right now, he settled his thoughts back on the box in his hands. "I guess we've got our way of delivery." he said, giving the present a little jingling shake.

"Uh, why don't I give it to her ? You know me, I just love good will on a Christmas Night." Lola salivated, but the box was snatched away from her grubby pink gloves.

"Sorry, but we want that gift to reach its owner in time, if at all. And there's no time like the _present_ !" cracked Luan, before turning her giggling smile into a frustrated frown. "Urgh, really ? Reusing your old material on the same audience ? Come on Luan, you're better than that !"

"Let's just do it, then !" quipped Lana as she caught the box with a hearty jump. She received a couple of groaning protests for naming herself the delivery girl, but she brushed them off, and approached the grumbling monster. "Um, Mrs. Gyftrot ?"

Gyftrot turned to glare angrily at the youthful intruder daring to interrupt her rant, but her features soon softened to a neutral glance once she realised she knew that little whippersnapper. "Gyftrot's fine, munchkin. Do you need anything ?" the monster raised an eyebrow.

"We just wanted to give you this. You know, to apologise for the trouble. Here you go." Lana put down the box by Gyftrot's feet. The monster's slitted pupils widened in amazement at the bouncing loops of the present's bow. Her voice went from irritated crone to nice little grandma.

"Oooh, what a nice thought. You kids shouldn't have !" Her cookie-cutter voice then morphed back to her normal tone. "Seriously, you _shouldn't_. All you did was help me, what are you apologising for ?"

Luna shrugged for the whole Loud party. "Nothing, I guess. We just wanted to be nice."

"And to fill up the agonizing gap in our SOULs." added Lucy. "Ha ha. It's a joke. Because we can never completely fill them up. **Ever.** "

Gyftrot gave her a dry look. "You're one full pack of weirdos."

"We try."

"Do you dig it ? I-I mean, is it of your liking, milady ?" Luna chuckled skittishly as she tried to summon forward her extra B _rrrr_ itish Language classes. It was going on her school record and Curriculum Vitae, even if she'd have to input it herself with a darn feather !

Gyftrot narrowed her eyes at the coloured little package. She couldn't shake her old lady instincts that easily, trying to find what foul play they were trying to unleash on her. But when she took another good look at the young human's face, she found hope, anticipation, courage, and an odd brown spot behind one of her molars; but the malice of a prankster, she saw none. She had to face the facts. They were giving for the sole sake of being nice.

They weren't from this world, she knew that. But if they were going to Snowdin, then they didn't have to worry. They were going to fit right in.

"I'll say it again, you kids are... peculiar, to say the least." A small smile, not easy to spot due to the shape of her mouth, grew on her face. "But maybe that's not so bad. Never thought I'd say it to a bunch of children, but... you're alright, kids. You're alright."

The Louds beamed at the praise, but tried to stay modest about it. "Yeah, we do awesome." Lola was of course the best at being modest.

"I guess it's a _wrap_. And yes, that was totally on purpose." Lincoln said cheekily. Luan batted away a stray tear of pride, as she watched her brother choosing the salvaging _**Spare**_ option.

* _YOU WON ! You've gained 0 EXP and 0 Gold._

 **Fight over.**

"Alright, mushiness over !" grunted Gyftrot, loading the Golden box onto her back. She could appreciate how light it was, despite the good chunk of metal inside it. "Get going already, it's time for my nap. C'mon, git ! Git !"

"Well, that lasted all of twelve seconds and thirteen hundredths." mumbled Lisa with a pout, as they started to depart from Gyftrot's 'lawn'.

"Oh, and before I forget !" she briskly called, before her cranky features softened into genuine worry. "You munchkins take care, alright ? The kiddos down here could learn a thing or two from you."

Not wanting to offend the monster while she was showing her sweet side, Lori bit back a chuckle, and instead gave a small courteous bow. "Don't worry about us, we get around pretty nicely. But thanks for your concern."

"C-Concern ?! Who's concerned ?! Bah, humbug !" sputtered Gyftrot, shaking her head at the giggling humans. Kids these days, urgh.

Her business finished, it was time for the bushy-antlered monster to be on her way. So she headed back home, apparently behind the cliff wall. One could wonder why she hadn't put a door to go through it, instead of having to walk up the wall every time.

No no, that was not a typo, Gyftrot was **walking** up the wall. The stubby ends of her legs acted as suckers, indicated by the little _shloop_ sound that accompanied every step she made. Gravity also seemed to have taken a break, as the present did not slip nor budge from Gyftrot's lumpy back.

The display only brought further gripe to Lisa's scientific mood, prompting a shaky sigh of pure annoyance out of her. " _Sure, why not ?_ " she hissed at Logic itself.

"Do you think she's a long-lost relative of Santa's reindeers ?" Lana wondered out loud, and grew miffled when she caught the amused giggles from her older siblings. "What ? I'm asking the real questions here, she could totally be their granny !"

The Louds began vacating the premises, with banter in the air and merriness dancing in their SOULs. But unnoticed by the others, one of them didn't carry the joyful feeling accomplishement in her step. Yet she was the first to rejoice of a job well done, but why would she ? She had barely helped at all.

Normally she was the first one to dash to a fallen old lady's rescue. If one counted out her Total Turbo XXII try, or when Sales came around, and sneaky old crones liked to play dead to better claw at your face. But still ! And she would've gladly partaken into the brainstorming for a present, even if she knew it would have likely been bounced back. At least she would've joined in the fun !

But Leni had remained silent. She had kept herself away from the choices and actions of her family, she hadn't interfered in any way. And looking at the results, she had to resign herself to the facts.

 **They had done perfectly fine.**

' _Of course they did ! Is it starting to sink in yet ? See what happens when you just keep out of their way ? Everything goes smoothly, monsters are happy, and you don't get chided at for sprouting whatever **nonsense** passes through your head. Everybody wins ! **Especially them.**_ '

Seeing her siblings' form starting to get a little blurry, Leni rubbed her eyes and ran to catch up to them.

' _ **You're doing great. They can already feel the relief of having that useless weight taken off their shoulders.**_ '

* * *

The wide snowy path quickly shrunk as they came to the steep edge of the cliff they were standing on, which offered a good view of the forest down below. Whether this was the path they had taken or a completely new part of the woods was still up to debate. But it wasn't the end of the line for the humans, as they discovered a mysterious entrance dug into the wall itself.

"Secret cave..." murmured Lincoln with sparkling eyes.

"Uh-oh, looks like Lincoln is entering nerd mode. Lisa, quick, reboot him before he starts speaking in stats and collectibles !" Lynn chortled teasingly, which earned her a frown from the aforementioned nerd. She offered a playful noogie as an apology. "Ah, you're just too easy to mess with. Come on, let's see if there really is some treasure in there !"

Girls and boy didn't need to be told twice, and rushed inside the cavern. Leni kept up the pace this time.

…

The first thing the children noticed when they stepped onto the damp rocky soil of the cave was the sudden rise of temperature. The air still felt cool, but at a comfier level. The sudden rise of humidity on the other hand didn't win everyone's favours.

"Yeesh, what's with the sudden moistery air ? It's good for my skin, but it's not doing my hair any favours." Lola ranted criticisely, but still hosted a proud grin at her sparkling epidermis. "Speaking of which, how are you doing back there ?"

"The best I can, dude. A comb ain't really my instrument, if you get my flow." quipped Luna as she waved the pink comb through the disheveled hair in an attempt of evening it out with the small spots of skin. She was far from being the most qualified for such work, but hey, bad hair days had still been a thing for her not too long ago. Still, Luna felt the need to ask, "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but why not asking Lori or Leni to help ya ?"

"Lori has her hands full with Lily. And Leni..." she adressed a dark glare to the poor blonde, who had the decency to blush and look away. "Let's just say she helped enough as it is."

Luna shook her head. "That's cold, dude. You can't be mad at her forever just for that."

To her credit, Lola kept a rather cool head towards Luna casually dubbing the capillary disaster as 'just that'. "Not forever. But until tomorrow morning at the very least !" she huffed, making sure that Leni knew she was getting the cold shoulder.

 _And she knew. Oh, she knew._

The rocky path soon opened on a larger patch of wet grass. But instead of a luxurious green, the blades were of an ebony hue with turquoise reflections. Stepping on it with boots did nothing extraordinary, but when her analytical fingers grazed it, Lisa felt a tingle coursing through her palm. "Fascinating. This grass seems much more packed with magical energy than the fallen leaves of the Ruins." She took out a small set of pincers, pinched a couple of grass blades off the ground, and sampled them in a clean tissue. She then put them inside the backpack pocket that held most of her samples.

"Not just the grass, take a look at those shrooms !" said Luan, kneeling next to one of the four couples of bright blue shrooms planted around. In fact, bright was putting it mildly, the fungi were giving off a healthy glow that reflected against Luan's braces. Due to this, the comedienne couldn't resist giving them a little boop. Why, it would be criminal if she didn't !

And it was not without a reaction, as the mushrooms' glow dimmed at her touch, rippling like a wave all the way down their stems. When she touched them again, their glow reappeared in the same fashion. "Nature sure is handy down here, but that _matsutake_ the cake !" Luan chortled merrily. "Get it ? Like the mushroom ?"

"Urgh, don't say that ! I'm starting to get hungry now." Lana stuck her tongue out, and appeased her stomach with some more pomeraisins. It was useless in resplendishing any HP, but the flavour was utter joy to her tummy, not to mention that sweet vanilla flavour melting with the strong meat aroma. Maybe if she added a shroom or two...

"I must put an end to the endavour that gleams through your eyes and drool right now, gluttonous sister of mine." Lisa bursted through Lana's bubble with a noisy snap of her fingers. "The magic contained in those mushrooms could provoke, other than immediate expiration, a number of diseases that would range far off the common charter, maybe even brand new symptoms. If you want a list..."

"No thanks ! I'm suddenly way less hungry !" Lana nervously chuckled, and quickly put as much distance as she could between her and the smart little brunette, before she could learn more about the wonderful tale of how she was one bad case of choking away from going to the Great Kennel in the sky.

Speaking of which, as she was trying to make herself small and quiet like a mouse, Leni let her gaze wander towards the ceiling. And no shyness could stop a soft gasp from escaping through her lips. "The sky is full of diamonds." she murmured a tad louder than she intended to.

"Woah, I see what you mean." Lincoln whistled as he took in the beautiful array of crystals gleaming across the dark ceiling. They were like stars lighting up the night sky, just like they were... back home. Not only that, as the grass fluttered that resulted from the footsteps of the humans' miling around, small shiny 'specks' fluttered around the room like fireflies. All of this reminded him of those same pretty little insects they'd see every year at Scratchy Bottom Grounds, one of the rare upsides the place had. Lincoln's smile diminished into a wistful chuckle. "Never thought I'd get nostalgic about those dirty camping grounds. Or stargazing for that matter."

"Sigh, stars are the only lights I look at willingly." quipped Lucy, briefly scaring both fashionista and comic-devourer. "They are so far away, yet they speak from the heart, all the way from infinities of nothingness. Like this one, telling us there is a good deal for a room around here."

"Okay, you were doing fine, but you're losing those mystical points pretty-" Lola halted her criticism when she took a better look at the ceiling. Then, after getting her drool to stop drenching her coat, something did catch her eye about that pattern. And as she rotated her head, to look at it the same way Lucy did, she saw that there was no profoundness in her observation.

Because ' _Room to rent, very good deal !_ ' was exactly what was written in this here constellation.

"I don't know whether to be impressed or really weirded out." commented Lola, eventually setting for both, plus a side of unconscious annoyance when she caught a small detail in the bottom right corner of the offer. "Does that big crystal looks like a paw print to you ?"

"But why would anyone want to rent this room ? There is nothing in here but glowing mushrooms. Amusing, yeah," Lynn snickered as she poked one of them continuously, not getting tired of the little squeaky sound they made, "but it's hardly worth spending money over."

"Um, Lynn ? I think the offer is more about that room over there." Lori pointed out.

The brunette made an about-turn to see the door on the wall her big sister was pointing at. The large wooden door's rich blue painting job strongly stood out from the dull blue-grey of the wall itself, yet for some reason, the door looked as if it was the most ancient element of the décor. Every scratch seemed to tell a story. Not necessarily interesting tales, but old ones for sure. And embed on its upper part, partly faded but still highly iconic, the shape of a winged dot and three triangles under it.

Lynn whistled. "Oh yeah, that makes more sense."

"Here's that weird symbol again. Do we even know what it means ?" Luna asked around as she added the final touches to her little sister's hair.

"Goat Mother's curriculum and stories were rather limited on the matter, but skimming through her library did inform me on this being the main symbol of the Monster Kingdom, which only makes sense seeing how they appeared all over the belongings of the Kingdom's Guard, and in most items found in the Ruins." professed Lisa. "Its origins, however, are still a most confounding enigma."

"I don't know about millenia-old graffitis, but it looks like someone's already paid the guarantee for this room." said Lana.

Lincoln quirked his brow. "How can you tell ?"

"Because of the note right next to it, duh !" Lana gestured to the taped piece of paper that no soul in the room had noticed beforehand. "I'm starting to understand how that scratch writing work. I've got all the vowels already pegged !"

Lincoln, or rather his mouth, quickly backed up her claim.

*" _The note reads : 'Room rented ! (But now I have no room. Dogs are not very smart at housing themselves.) Signed : the good (boy) host, T.F.'_ "

"Is it bad that I feel kinda good about reading this ?" Lori asked present company with a arched brow. Her vindicative feelings towards a certain small dog couldn't be the reason why her heart was filled with this petty kind of satisfaction. Could it ?

"Do you think anyone's home ?" asked Luan, pressing her ear against the door to hear what the new tenant could possibly be up to. She let out a soft gasp. "I think they are ! Time for a knock-knock joke~!"

But her arm was immediately intercepted, courtesy of Luna. "Loons, I love your spirit, you know that. But maybe we oughta leave'em alone. We just had this whole thing with Gyftrot, might be better to not tempt the odds." she whispered in a careful fashion that amused Luan to no end.

"It looks like this place is getting to you, 'cause I know someone who thinks the best first impressions are made when _axing_ the door down, and the place with it !" Luan giggled, then guffawed even harder when she saw Luna's embarrassed expression. "I knew it ! These days though, you're less about chaos, and more about _harmonica_ , am I right ?"

"Heh, maybe..." Luna sheepishly responded. "How do you even know someone's in there anyway ?"

"Pay attention, my children. Our loud ways will not help us here." Luan spoke with great wisdom, stroking the fake long grey beard she now somehow had.

"You are spending way too much time around that comedian." deadpanned Lisa with underlying snark.

Lincoln was next to listen through the door, and he indeed caught a familiar sound. "I hear keyboard typing. And intense one, I can say that much." said Lincoln, as he listened to the fast clicking sounds and the occasional guzzling of some highly-caffeined liquid. "They must be on some sort of deadline."

"Do monsters even have computers ? No offense, but seeing the quirkiness of the place, I think we would've noticed them across the Web." Lynn snorted, before adopting a pensive expression. "Then again, there's a lot of weirdos out there..."

"Not just sound, smell as well !" Lana sniffed the air with intense focus. "And I'm getting some roasted pork in thin slices with grated first-hand Emmenthal, all between square parcels of wholewheated bread browned to perfection." The little tomboy smacked her wet lips with a content sigh. "Whoever's in there, they know their grilled ham and cheese."

"Guys, keep it down. If they're busy, maybe it'd best if we just skedaddle." said Lori, feeling more uneasy the longer she stared at that door.

"Aww, but what if they have treasure ?" Lola argumented.

"'Teaju'e ! Teaju'e !" chanted Lily, as it could mean chests full of that yummy Monster Candy, or statues entirely made of Cinnamon-Butterscotch Pie, or heaps of Gold to buy tons of Nice Cream ! Yeah, Lily was really starting to feel famished.

"See ? Even Lily says so ! We're only asking for a minute." nodded Lola with finality, as she walked past her siblings, and brought her fist up for a firm but distinguished knocking. "I mean, whatever they're doing, they can just stop for-"

* _ **"DON'T."**_

{ _Undertale OST – The Fallen Child_ }

The ghastly warning, as clear as crystal, echoed through the room and descended down the Loud sisters' spines as slowly as it willed itself to. Lola's hand stopped in its tracks, its owner slowly turning to look at her brother. The temperature of the room only dropped further when she saw the crimson in his wide eyes, dead set onto her and only rendered more intimidating by the cave's newfound darkness, courtesy of the mushrooms suddenly ceasing their glow at once.

* _ **"Do not disturb the peace of this place. The tremendous power that's at work behind this door mustn't be halted by a common outside source."**_

"O-Or what ?" asked Lisa, and supressed a squeaky yelp when the two orbs of red pupils turned their eerie focus onto her.

* _ **"I do not know. And neither do you. Neither will you. All I can say for sure is, whatever discovery is behind this door, it's not the one you expect. But if you feel like you've gotta find out, then please,**_ **knock** _ **yourselves out."**_

* _Rimshot... coming from inside_ *

Luan was brave enough to offer a weak laugh, but immediately swallowed it down in a gulp. Nobody faulted her for that. Banter about odd flora and casual cooking had suddenly switched over to the secrets of the universe being revealed through one knock. The pressure flooded Lola's SOUL with great uncertainty, as she realised there was a chance, just a chance, that she could be ending the world, right here, right now. Every muffled typing sound now felt deafening, like the drums of the Apocalypse, and she could swear that dot on the door was peering at her, ready to see just what she was about to unleash.

Needless to say, treasure was the last thing on poor Lola's mind right about now.

{ _End of track_ }

Suddenly, two hands seized her shoulders, and her heart almost burst out of her chest. The red-orange sleeves immediately gave away the owner, but Lola was almost too scared of looking up, to find those red eyes close enough to eat her up. But the way those hands were gently squeezing her shoulders hit way too close to home, and to her relief, she only found hazel pupils looking back at her.

"How about we just agree that I got us into a dead-end, and leave it at that ?" suggested Lincoln, who was taking his little episode surprisingly well.

"Motion passed ?" called Lori with certain urgency. Immediate approval from all sides. "Motion passed. Let's make like that monster, and cheese it."

"I approve everything she just said !" Luan exclaimed with renewed peppiness, and followed the power-walking out of the grotto. Lincoln took advantage of the rather quiet moment to give credit where credit was due.

' _You saved us good there, pal. Not your best first impression on the whole 'Talking more' stuff, but still useful. Less red and less scaring the pants off my sisters next time, okay ?_ '

The boy's praises met no response as usual, but he had a feeling they were still grateful for it, deep deep inside. But as deep as the questions about this mysterious door that would form over a cup of hot cocoa later ?

Eh. That weirdo couldn't be _that_ important. Needed to get a job, is what it is...

…

…

And just when calm and order were settling back inside the small cave...

"Did someone ask for an awesome air show ?! Because you're about to see even better !" spoke the deep blue monster, swinging in with his broad smile and rainbow-coloured wings. His cockiness dimmed however when he took in the severe lack of an audience for his tricks to be enjoyed. "Wait, wha ? I didn't... miss my cue, did I ? Pshh, no way ! The amazing **Glyde** is never late ! Yo, in there, when are my future fans coming ? They have to see me ! Ain't a good Undertale fic without Glyde ! I mean, _duh_ , right ?! Hey, what's with the weird line ? Wait, nonononoNO ! SO NOT COOL-"

* * *

In the midst of retracing their steps, the Loud kids found Sans back from his break-break. "so, found any treasure ?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Just pretty mushrooms and a killer headache, skele-dude." said Luna, as she rubbed the top of her scalp. "Hey, um, any chance _you_ could tell us what's behind that weird door back there ?"

"Luna, what did we just say ?!" hissed Lola.

"I'm sorry, but I need something that'll help me sleep tonight. Please, let me hear some of that !" pleaded Luna, taking the hands of the monster into her own, and putting on her best begging pout. Sans was impressed with the smooth tempo that quivering lip was giving.

"well..." Sans began, and saw he immediately had everyone intrigued. _So much for unimportant, huh ?_ "i'm not really up to date on the latest gossip. you know me, i ain't one to mess with anyone's business, too much work-"

"Yes, you prefer easy preys, like children." mumbled Lisa with narrowed eyes.

"-buuut, i do know that only the weirdest of the weird can live in there. it used to be an impish little white critter, 'sure you kids already met him once or twice."

"That's a gross understatement, today alone very included." deadpanned Lori. Now she knew why she had felt that note was a small victory.

"Doggy ! Funny hat !" Lily giggled.

"Yes, a very **funny** hat he had, that doggy." Lori simmered through clenched teeth, her tone and mind growing rancid. ' _I bet he'd make a great hat too._ '

"Okay, but what about now ? Who's paying the rent right now ?" Lynn inquired further.

Sans took a second to weigh his words carefully. _As he should be._ "hmm..."

The Louds leaned closer.

"hmmmmm..."

Closer.

" _hmmmmmmmmmmmm..._ "

And yet, **closer.**

"if you kids can't tell, that's my code to tell ya that i don't have the singlest clue."

Cue the chorus of exasperated groans, and the lazy chuckle backing it. "You know, next time you don't know something, try givin' it to us straight instead of leaving us waitin' on the patio." huffed Luna.

Sans' grin expanded, and he winked at the rockin' gal. "eyy, i see what you did there."

"What's that supposed to- ah, cricket !" Luna facepalmed, realising what she had just unleashed.

"It's alright, Sansy ! Your jokes can be a bit hard to _handle_ for some, but _knob_ me !" said Luan, all too happy to take her cue.

"And here we go again." moaned Lincoln.

"ah c'mon, they ain't that _wooden_."

"Of course not, some people are just too _close_ -minded !"

"Knock-knock jokes... all coming back..." said Lisa, as she felt her head throb with all those repressed memories of awful puns announced by a benign hit on her frontal gate.

"heh, glad you aren't. knowing your audience is the _key_ to success."

"I guess I'm just _lock_ -y like that !"

" _Mercy..._ " Lucy pleaded to the concept itself, while hiding her face further inside her hood. When was the sweet release of death when you needed it ?

"I think our jokes are not being well-received right now. Are we doing something wrong ? Is our routine, hehe, not worth any a- _door_ -ation ?"

"nah, we're being _framed_. but hey, better luck next time. in fact..."

"No..." Lori mouthed with cold dread.

The clownette's sly smile expanded widely. "In fact..."

"Lynn, is there mud in the afterlife ?" whimpered Lana, trembling in her little boots.

"Stadiums full of it, I'm sure. And we'll wrestle through it all. All of it, do you hear me ?!" swore Lynn as she hugged the little blonde close, and the two cemented her words with an act of which promise power was even above a blood pact. Indeed, they put their whole fiery SOULs in that pinky promise.

"you could say that we should..." "You indeed can say that we should..."

Few people knew you could play the Funeral March on an harmonica. But then again, few people knew Luna Loud.

" _... knock on wood._ "

* _ **SLAP !**_ *

The impact of palms against ten foreheads rang loudly not only across the woods, but the whole Underground. The Louds felt it was fair that way. If they were to suffer and survive through such a terrible pun storm, they wanted everyone to be aware of it, from the first Froggit they met, to that King guy somewhere. Even Leni, still sullen, couldn't resist the call. Only then, did they let themselves fall forward to groan their hearts out into the powder below.

Luan dusted her hands with a content smile. "This was a pun-off I'll be remembering for some time. That frame one was a killer !" she giggled mirthfully.

"looking at the bodies, you might be right. it looks like i'm gonna have to run for it." chuckled Sans. The two laughed even harder. Sans, running ? _HA !_ "but really, i've gotta go. paps is adding the finishing touches to his next project, and i need to tie a knot or two so my name can appear on the blueprints."

"Sans, you're the punniest skeleton I've met in my entire life." Luan warmly assured.

"hey, you're a whole world of swell yourself, sunshine." Sans chuckled back, and departed with a small salute. "see ya."

Luan waved to him on his way out, and, once he was gone, breathed with renewed gusto. "I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I can run a whole marathon ! Anyone up for a little race ?"

 _The clawing hands of her siblings creeping on her from behind had another idea._

* * *

When the kids reached the next area by taking the path previously postponned, they realised that they had already climbed quite high. A large valley of snow and trees once again greeted them on their left and their right. Far away behind them, they could see the wall delimiting the Ruins, and ahead, the lights of their destination shining brighter than ever, bringing relief to their hearts.

"We're almost there." grinned Lincoln. "What do you think this town is going to look like ?"

"That's a good question, but right now, a comfy pillow is worth a thousand monster towns for me." yawned Lola, with her mood improving ever so slightly. Vendetta against a certain ditz was still somewhere in her mind, but she had gotten the chances to let off some steam. _Speaking of which._ "Any witty comment you'd like to add, Luan dearest ?"

"Mff gaff aff go penff of fumerr." grumbled the young jokester through the thick layers of scarves tied around her mouth. Had she not been condemned to another two-minute round of Plan NP-WV #6, her words would have been understood as ' _You guys have no sense of humour_ '. This apparently was no skin off her siblings' bones, to Luan's annoyance.

"Speaking of resting, check out that little dog house !" squealed Lana as she bounded over to the little structure. It was finely made, and quite big for the small entrance it had, just wide enough for Lana to squeeze her way through. Next to it was a small ladder, no doubt allowing one to go sleep on the wide roof, like only the cool dogs do. And above the door was the familiar symbol of a panting dog head.

"Looks like we found another station. But this one's a bit, um, _dinky_." Lincoln scratched his head in slight confusion.

"Small doesn't mean safe, bro. Remember you-know-who's-bonkers ?" advised Luna, squinting her eyes sourly.

"Unfortunately."

"' _Woof_ ' ?" said Lynn, reading the wooden sign next to the entrance. "What is that ? A name ? A rank ? Is this some sort of Dog HQ ?! Or is it their way of naming their house ?"

"It's a dog house alright !" Lana reported from inside. "There's a little bowl, some toys- Another box of pomeraisins ! Ah nuts, it's empty. Aww, they have family pictures ! They're all blurry though."

"You could say they weren't able to _focus_ , am I right ?!" cracked Luan with a little elbow jab to Leni, who gave a small smile in return.

"Hey ! You haven't done your time yet !" exclaimed Lola as she pounced on the clownette to renew her fluffy gag.

"NOOOOOOOOO !" wailed Luan.

"There's a little dog bed, some dog books – with covers you can actually chew, I need one of those ! - and there's also a bunch of posters, with a **very angry fish face on 'em** , but I can't really read what they're saying."

"It says ' _Royal Guard : Join now, you sissies !_ '"

"LUCY ! How did you get in there ?!"

"There is an entrance. Like, right next to us."

"No really, she crawled in. No weird black magic teleportation this time." backed up Lynn.

" _Sigh._ "

"And are you sure there's no one else in there ?" Lori probbed Lana one last time for good measure.

"Positive !"

"We met four dogs, and saw their four stations. That means that whoever owns this station is either gone for the night, or is looking for us right now." mulled the eldest blonde, carressing Lily's head like she was a cat.

"Maybe they took another way and missed us ?" offered Lincoln, gazing at the large valley below. "There's so much more forest we didn't get to explore. Maybe that doghouse has a pulley system that can get its guard right down there for max effectiveness ! Kinda like the emergency slides Lisa installed in our rooms."

"This idea holds no logical sense, and is a security hazard in its concept alone." Lisa stiffly said, before her expression became flat. A peek at the back of the doghouse confirmed her aggravating suspicions. "Which means, of course, that it must be there. Huh, cushioning reinforcements and a small squeaky bone for slide entertainement. Good points for design, I suppose."

Worries over encountering another dog monster were wearing off, as was Lana's excitement, and it allowed them to notice the small lumps of snow piled around them. A paw mark or two imprinted on them quickly gave away the abstract artist's identity. "Those dogs have intersting ways of spending their free time, I'll say that much. What was the goal in making those, anyway ?" asked Lincoln.

"Maybe because the dude or dudette just felt like it." shrugged Luna. "Dogs play their dog games, and like it ; ain't nothing wrong with that. Plus, they're kinda cute." She playfully poked a lump by her feet, but instead of her finger completely going in, it offered some resistance. But not a cold crunchy one. Luna passed her glove across the bump, and found the snow to be as soft as the surface of a sofa cushion. "This ain't normal snow."

"Why ? Does it feel warm ?" quipped Lana, popping her head by the entrance. "Remember, if it's yellow..."

"LANA !" exclaimed a revulsed Lola.

"Hehe, nope. It's white and cold like science desks at 8 in the morning. But it looks like whatever that little Ice Cap dude used to make his new duds, those _snow poffs_ are made out of the same stuff."

Lori raised an eyebrow. "Snow poff ?"

"Fitting name, right ?" Luna wriggled her own forehead pilosity. "Wanna touch ?"

Not seeing any harm, Lori gave the snow poff a small rub, and she whistled with wonder at how soft it felt. Lily followed suit by squeezing it as much as her little arms allowed her to. "This is litteraly the kind of pillow I need in Summer." commented Lori as she remembered the unhealthy amout of times her pillow had somehow taped itself to the back of her hair drenched with sweat. And don't get her started on what she had to do to get it out ! And yet, she felt a small smirk forming across her lips, which held its fair share of mischief. "And that's good, because now it belongs to me and Lily."

"Hey, no fair ! I touched it first, it's got my prints all over it !" argued Luna, getting a little too prideful over a lump of snow.

"What ever prints are you talking about, sis ?" Lori sang in faux innocence. Lily had already slobbered all over her lumpy new friend, marking this territory as her own, and sharing half of it with her snow adviser in the person of her eldest sis.

"Clever girl..." Luna mumbled sourly, but couldn't stay mad at the pudgy ball of cuteness. Instead, she began looking around, and pounced on a snow poff not too far from her, to proudly plant her boot onto. "Then this snow poff is Lunaland proprety ! It's got way better vibes anyway."

And just like that, the Snowdin Snow-poff Rush was on ! Everyone scrambled to find the poff of their dreams, with just the acceptable amount of pushing and kicking in the knees. Lincoln was the first to find what he was looking for. "Those little rock teeth make that one look just like those ice minions from the second edition of ' _Ace Savvy and the Coldest Hand_ ', the one where he discovered that his aunt's cousin-"

Lynn rolled her eyes playfully as her brother rambled on. "Is there anything that guy can't nerdify ?" she said, then looked proudly at her own piece of snow, which had abs faintly drawn on the front. "Not you, for one ! They call you soft, but you're really a tough snowflake. And I dig that !" she commended while giving the cool punching bag a couple of jabs. The snow didn't even flinch.

"This one will do. Its loneliness appeal to me." Lucy monotoned as she plopped next to the lone snow poff in the top corner near the way they came in. The young Goth had a good history with corners. And the view shrouded in obscurity was a neat bonus, making words flourish anew in her book.

Luan's choice had little thinking to it, as she was still a bit miffed at the silence torture she was being put through. But when she sat on it and a flatulence sound escaped her snow poff, she was happy to see that her comedic instincts were still as sharp as ever. ' _Good_ _gas_ _on my part, hehehe._ '

"Perfect roundness... average temperature... optimal softness..." lisped Lisa as she field-tested the cold lump in many ways. Her measuring tape retracted with a satisfying click that matched her grin. "This is a fine specimen indeed. I think a little extraction is in order." The small genius sorted out her set of tweezers, and made them clack with an eerie smile. "Do not be agitated, dear patient. This should not hurt more than it needs to."

This snow poff turned a little whiter.

"Hey, I saw that snow poff first !" exclaimed Lola, as she locked herself on another argument with her roommate.

"As if ! I saw it years before you !" Lana countered, her nose pressed against her prissy sister's.

"We've been here for five minutes, you dodo !"

"More proof that I've wanted it longer than you do !" Lana stuck her tongue at her twin. "Besides, look at those bumps ! It was made for this behind !"

"Wow, you're really spending too much time with those dogs, because you obviously traded your sight for a better sense of smell ! And even that, you stink at !" Lola flicked the tomboy's nose, making her growl back. "Those are obviously supposed to be jewels that fit the throne of a true princess such as _moi_."

"It needs to fit that big butt of yours first !"

Lola's entire being stiffened with shock, then convulsed in impending rage. "Maybe it needs to fit your face first !" Her shriek was followed with every bit of agressiveness it was promising. Lincoln and Lori quickly moved to separate the two, but kept an eye on their respective 'propreties'.

And then there was Leni, who just stood there awkwardly. It's not that she didn't want to join the festivities, but what if she took the one snow poff one of her siblings wanted ? She didn't want to get even more in their way by acting selfish.

Nevertheless, she was lucky enough to spot a lone snow poff hiding in one of the corners, closer to the smaller path they'd need to take to carry on. It wasn't special in any way, not compared to the other snow poffs her siblings were being proud of. It seemed to be there just for the sake of existing, not bringing anything worth noting to the scenery as a whole.

' _A perfect choice, then._ ' that inner voice snided again.

Leni didn't bother arguing. She was just too tired for that, in more ways than one. She just hoped the little white pile wouldn't mind her gently sitting on it for a few seconds.

 _*Cli-Cling !*_

Whatever Leni was expecting when sitting down, a jingling sound wasn't one of them. Maybe moving fabric, or stretching leather, but not that. She began looking around to see if she was squashing a bell, or worse, one of Gyftrot's grandchildren. She imagined them having little bells around their necks like in the stories. Totes cute ! But to her relief, no monster was hiding in that pile ; only a brown pouch that looked eerily familiar. And when she opened it, the golden glow of its contents sparkled against her dilated pupils.

"U-Um, guys ? I found a little bag." Leni called quietly. She only caught two or three of her sibings' attention, who in turn signaled the others to listen. With all those peepers on her, Leni burried her face deeper into her striped scarf. "A-And there's Gold in it."

The siblings certainly heard that mute squeak, and quicky approached their sister to feast their eyes on the glimmering coins.

"Woah, where did you get that ?" asked Lincoln with a smile that soothed Leni's shyness ever so slightly.

"I-It was in my snow poff. I heard the coins when I, like, sat on it."

"Leni, that's amazing !" praised Luan, making the blonde blush. "Looks like you were sitting on _yellow_ snow after all, haha ! Get it ?" Leni jumped off her seat and frantically patted the back of her coat, before she realised the punchline through Luan's hilarity. Her face went from blush to crimson, until she felt her athlete of a sister slapping her back.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a winner for best snow poff ! And someone who's taken off her scarves again." said Lynn with a pointed glare towards the flinching jokester. Ultimately, she took pity on her. "Eh, it's been two minutes. You're a free clown."

"Hurray !"

The kids lost no time in lavishing the blonde with praise and affection. A good way to make up for their arguable act from earlier, even though they knew that there was _no way on Earth_ it could really have affected the sweet blonde that much. Even the main offender herself, having simmered down from her tangled freakout, gave Leni a small pat on the hand. Of course, being Lola, it really helped that this was about earning more precious Gold.

Lori was the last one to approach her little sister, but her smile was at a comfortable first place in terms of warmth. "Already making good on your resolutions, I see." she winked at the platinium blonde, who blushed sheepishly. She then added the coins to the Louds' backpack account. "And a hefty thirty more Gold for us."

"And they said sitting on our posteriors would never bring us any awards in life." said Lisa, a small smile tugging at her lips.

As her siblings laughed raucously at the genius' rare joke, Leni felt her SOUL flutter with pride. She knew it, she just knew it ! She knew she could be helpful when she wanted to ! Sure, this had just been a stroke of luck, but-

' _Exactly._ _ **Luck.**_ _Don't be tooting your own horn about it, anyone can do luck, even the bottom of the discount basket such as you. The thing to remember here, is that you are helpful when you set yourself away from them, and all the important stuff that doesn't need you messing it up._ '

' _O-Oh._ ' Leni shrunk on herself, her silly emotions now in check. But she still allowed a flicker of hope to wander into her thoughts. ' _But, I was helpful, right ?_ '

' _…Yes. You were._ '

' _Jolly helpful, eh what ?_ '

' _Hey ! This zone is hamster-free ! AND STOP EATING DIPPING MY SHOES INTO YOUR TEA !_ '

Leni left her mind behind – she had an itchy feeling that there was something wrong with that – and went back to her siblings' side. It was welcoming, even when she didn't feel like she should be. And just in time to find the mud and glitter duo engaged in an aggressive game of Rock, paper, scissors under the impartial eye of Referee Lynn.

"What did I miss ?" Leni quietly asked Luna.

"We finally got Lana and Lola to settle their differences over a snow poff peacefully. As peaceful as it gets, anyway. One win settles it all. But they're up to 63 ties already !" Luna's features sombered considerably. " _Let's just hope they don't get to a hundred._ "

Leni gulped at her sister's dark aura. "W-Why ?"

"HA ! IN YOUR FILTHY FACE !"

" _DANG IT !_ "

Luna regained her cool smile instantly. "Not important, dude. Lola just whooped Lana's butt."

"I call foul play ! There was clearly a silly face distraction !" accused Lana, pointing the index of justice towards the pink demon. But her evil pink power was too strong for the finger of righteousness, as she revealed her sharp imp teeth through her victorious smirk.

"Underground rules, I'm afraid. And I say your case reports to Article 1, I quote, ' _Too bad, too sad !_ '" declared the triumphant princess, laughing the fallen troll off. Her throne had been secured from her greedy, not to mention unsanitary, little sausages she called fingers, and that was all that mattered.

"Okay okay, break it up you two. Let's keep this match clean." interjected Lynn, dragging the fussing tomboy a couple of feet away from her gloating twin.

"It's no fair ! Everybody's got a snow poff, except me !" Lana complained with her arms crossed and the moodiest pout she could muster.

"They're just piles of snow, Lana. It's not that big of a deal." reassured Lincoln, patting her back sympathetically.

Lana gave him a dry look in return. "Then can you give me yours ?"

"Uh, sorry, but Ace Savvy Jr. has special needs, and you can be a little rough with everything you can stuff inside your pants."

"URGH !" Lana let her gloves slide down her eyelids in frustration. ' _Not that big of a deal, my foot !_ ' She was tempted to use hers to deliver her twin a jolly good kick to her rear area, but she had a little more common sense than that. Under Lori's oath, they promised that violence was not the answer, and that it would only hinder their progress. And she was already one violation in.

Thus, Lana was going to wait until Lori was not watching. That made sense, right ?

But her vindicitive thoughts and her wide mischevious grin, which was quite franky freaking her brother out, disappeared when she noticed a lone lump of snow along the path to proceed ahead. It was visibly larger than the others, and seemed to be full of positive energy. Lana gasped excitedly, then got all smug. "Fine, she can keep her crummy seat, I'll take this snow poff there !"

"Crummy seat ? Ha !" Lola snorted.

Luan scratched hear head. "Huh. How did we not see that before ?"

"Well I see it, and it's mine." said Lana as she patted the top of her new friend. "It's everything a little girl can ask for. It's round, it's squishy, it's just the right size..."

 _*Shuffle Shuffle_ *

"... and it moves ?" Lana finished uncertainly.

She was not the only one to have seen the snow poff move, and thus, the curious incredulity all over her features was nothing special. It shook again, as if acknowledging the childrens' stares. Then, a small bushy white tail suddenly popped from behind it, waving once or twice before a black snout followed from the front.

"Guys... I think we found our missing hound." concluded Lincoln, just in time to see the little dog's head appear. They tensed at first, especially Lori, but key features like the longer ears and the plumper cheeks indicated that this was not the cunning Pie Thief himself.

" _Yip ! Yip !_ " uttered the little pup, his small excited mug bringing all kinds of fuzzy goodness into the humans' hearts. It made goofy grins sprout all around, save for Lucy who was desperately trying to keep those mushy feelings at bay, with little success.

"Awww, he's so tiny and cute ! I just wanna squeeze him into my arms !" squealed Lola.

"And I want to rub his stomach to see his little leg tremble ! It's litteraly the cutest thing you can do with a dog." gushed Lori despite herself.

"If not for their skills, the members of this Canine Unit can pride themselves for their top notch friendly looks." commented Lisa, trying to keep a professional tone. " _Eeee ! His ear twitched !_ " Emphasis on 'trying'

"Why must this cold place make me feel so warm inside ?" moaned Lucy as she surrendered herself to the fuzzy torture once more.

But no one here, they could tell, was as thrilled as Lana was, as her snow poff ownership just went from great to amazing ! One last petting opportunity to end the day ? The Mud Gods' generosity towards her truly knew no bounds. With eyes glimmering of joy, she scooted closer to the expectant canine, and readied her hand for some furious head scratchies. "Hey there little guy." Lana cooed, and almost reached the high notes when the dog arched his head to the side. "Don't worry, we're friendly ! And, if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to pet your little-"

Suddenly, the snow poff surrounding the pup started to shake. Not just the snow poff, the powder on its sides as well, and the ground under the Louds' feet rippled with light tremors. Before anyone could ask Lisa about the dangers of underground cave-ins, the little dog's head quickly rose out of the snow, along with the rest of a body that had the Louds gasp in surprise.

"...head ?" Lana gaped the end of her sentence.

Broad shoulders almost the size of the path, followed by a hefty torso and arms rippling with muscles, ending in big paw-shaped gauntlets. The whole thing wrapped in a neat grey armour similar to Lesser Dog's, but much bulkier to contain all this raw furry power. The legs under it were small, but long enough and well-trained to support the semi-ton of dog and steel they were also coated with. And they were not any smaller than their owner's head, looking ridiculously small atop it all, while looking down on the petrified kids with the same happy face and his little tail still wagging back and forth. Because while he wasn't making himself intentionally threatening, a monster taller and larger than Toriel was something that had them feel uneasy.

In his right paw, a long white spear materialised itself. A ' _spear-niel_ ', as it was called. Magic was pouring from every bit of the weapon, from the spear head that had a little dog face on it, mirroring the ones on the armor's bracelets, to the round bottom tip that clashed against the floor with a mighty _thump_.

" _Yip._ " uttered the hulking monster in the same high-pitched voice, but with a new purpose. _The rainbow of SOULs answered to his call._

 **Fight engaged !**

* _"It's the Greater Dog."_

{ _Undertale OST – Dogsong_ }

"I'll add ' _deceptive_ ' to the list." Lisa nonchalantly jolted down the new info under the title ' _EVERY DANG CREATURE BREATHING HERE ! (Goat Mother not accounted)_ '. She also couldn't resist drawing a grinning skull next to it, and circling it in blood red.

"W-Wow... that is some serious updog over there..." gulped Luan.

Lincoln blinked. "Wait, what is updog- Gosh dang it, Luan !" the boy groaned, drowned under his sister's amused giggles.

"Luan's right though, that dog is huge !" exclaimed Lana, making a widening gesture with her hands. Then her awestruck features turned sly. "I'm gonna pet him."

"At this point, that's kind of a given." nodded Luna, resisting a chuckle as she gazed at Greater Dog's unchanged expression of pure happiness. So much neck to scratch ! But when she saw her group's reflection in his armour, the immediate danger was all too apparent. "The mystery part is how we're gonna get him to put down his spear and shake. Bro, a little help from your ghost mate ?"

"Ghost advice, coming up." acknowledged Lincoln, ACTivating his _Check_ option.

* _"Greater Dog. ATK 15, DEF 8. He's so excited, he thinks fighting is just a game. But he's a rough player, and so are his toys."_

"And weirdly cute too." Lola felt the need to add. Then again, she knew quite a lot about being cute but deadly. But that didn't change the fact that she wanted to boop all those snouts so badly !

Thus, Greater Dog opened the festivities with a quaint little game of ' _Dancing Spear_ '. The rules were super simple ! Greater Dog would first make his spear advance to the humans' right, making it too big and wide for anyone with normal traction to jump above it. If they could, then good for them ! Then, when 80 % of the ground was covered, the spear would roll back from whence it came, and suddenly appear to the left to do the same.

And all the humans had to do was moving accordingly and avoid getting poked by the spear. They seemed really eager about that. Easy-peasy game, and oh so fun for everyone !

The humans had several arguments against those rules. Firstly, abnormal traction apparently excluded all of them, even _Lynn_ , who had no key spot to jump or space to gather momentum. She was the pride of sport associations all over Royal Woods and even Michigan, but that didn't mean she could whip up every trick of the book just like that ! She really **wanted to** , but reality was lame like that.

Secondly, after avoiding being steamrolled by the spear's first go, and forced to the area's gaping limits, it wasn't too pleasant to have the weapon blink out of existence and then back in, right behind them to trip them down on their faces. Their penalty for failing the 'game' : 4 _HP_ off them, and a nasty cut added on their tired knees. Lily, still being carried, was lucky on that part, but not lucky enough to avoid getting cold snow up her nostrils when Lori felll with her, making the tot sneeze and rub her nose in discomfort.

"He cheated ! How were we supposed to avoid that ?!" groaned Lynn, even though she was the quickest to jump back on her feet.

"I hear ya. If this starts to go on _Die & Retry_ territory, I'm filing a complaint to... well, someone !" said Lincoln as he spat the last bits of frost atop his tongue. The girls gave him weird looks that begged filling in. "Basically, it's a game mechanic that forces you to die at least once, often multiple times to learn the correct patterns to continue. Fun in games, but, I think we can all agree, doesn't sound all that pleasant in real life."

"Not to mention that'll mean going through the ice puzzle and Gyftrot's fight again, and that's litteraly not happening when we are this close from the town." firmly quipped Lori, whose aching back was starting to make her feel like the elder monster. She could feel that her **Patience** was a mere dozen steps away to be rewarded, and Greater Dog was the last roadblock to overcome. Her mind immediately flared up for a solution. "We have an overgrown dog who's looking for playmates and affection. But if we want those games to be as fun for us as they are to him, we've got to make him drop that spear."

"But our main weapon is a bit useless here." uttered Lucy, speaking more realistically than gloomily. "None of us can reach his neck to scratch it, and I doubt he'll let us mount one another. He'll probably push us away like it's some sort of game." Her instincts towards deepness quickly resurfaced. "But it's not. _This is life._ "

"Yeah, but life is still requiring us to coax a giant bipedal dog in armour." Not the deepest words Lori ever found herself to say, but every bit as honest as the raven-haired girl. "If we can't get to him... then maybe we need to get him to us."

"You mean we just snap our fingers and expect him to come down and lick our faces ?" Lola snorted sarcastically, before she realised who they were dealing with here. "That's... actually not a bad plan. Minus the licking part, count me out on that."

"But will his training be efficiently triggered by the call of a complete stranger ?" asked Lisa, remaining skeptical to the end.

"Lisa, you're the smartest cookie I know, but you're a bit lost when it comes to reading people." Lana said condescendingly, as she quickly smushed the cheeks of her genius sister, to turn her gaze to meet the monster's. "Look into those black peepers. Isn't that the look of someone who'll accept a pet from any hand, no questions asked ?"

"Ah fuppove fo." admitted the toddler.

"Exactly !" she exclaimed, too pumped up to be gentle when releasing her bespectacled prisonner. "So let's not waste any more time ! Lincs, you may ACT when ready !"

"Aye-aye, Colonel Cuddles." Lincoln said half-teasingly. She may be eating boogers and wrestling alligators as a hobby, but, no matter how much she disliked the term, she still was utterly cute when animals got involved, whether they had fur or slime for skin. Once the ACT menu was open, Lincoln saw an array of options already there, no doubt copied right out of the little grease monkey's thoughts and ideals. The faint orange gleam in the words heavily hinted that.

He settled on what seemed to be the natural first step of Lana's ' _More neck, more pet_ ' plan, the _Beckon_ option. And Lana lost no time doing just that.

"Greater Dog ? C'mon, here boy !" said Lana in-between whistles and tongue clicking. Greater Dog's ears spruced up right away, and he was now even more focused on the humans in front of him, if that was possible. With his tail wagging with the force of an unhinged desk fan, he let go of his spear, and bounded closer as though he was as light as air. But he wasn't. The ground shook when the 8-foot guard landed on all fours, and he began scrutinising around for any sign of fun, or even better, a stick !

* _"Greater Dog has answered your call. Excitement levels are up to 90% !"_

"Looks like we've got his attention, dudes ! And his drool." said Luna, as she tried to protect her face from any slobbering droplet Greater Dog was generously letting fly with any head turn. "He's makin' it rain !"

"Protect me, my brave knight !" cried out Lola, having no problem using Lincoln as a meat shield.

"Being me is hard work." Lincoln quipped to the camera, but without any hint of annoyance. He patted the scalp of the hugging blonde. "But it's rewarding. Most of the time."

"Uh guys ?" said Lucy.

"Nothing like a good shower to wash your worries away." Lana sighed in bliss, rubbing the drool against her cheeks like cream.

"Guys !" Lucy's outburst, which wasn't much of an outburst at all, got a startled jump out of every SOUL around, including the fluffy monster. The ground shook again. "Look at his spear. There's something wrong in this picture. Can you guess what it is ?"

"It's grinning at us ?" tried Lynn casually. "Honestly, I've dealt with freakier things in our room."

"You're right, it is grinning at us. _Aaaaaaall_ the way up there, all alone." Lucy trailed her finger upwards.

Luan, who knew her smiles, had a feeling that it wasn't the smile itself that Lucy was trying to point out. And when she found herself looking _up_ at it, she caught on the riddle. "Why is the spear still standing if no one's holding it ?" she answered with her own riddle.

"Hey, you're right ! It's not even hammered into the ground ! It's like there's some force from another world keeping it standing !" exclaimed Lynn, stumped by this sudden revelation ! For about a second. "Yeaaaah, still not freakier than what I can find under Lucy's bed."

"Thank you." answered Lucy with the ghost of a smile.

But the kids got no time to discuss that mildly weird fact, as Greater Dog's _spear-niel_ wasn't done redefining physics. While he kept happily panting, a light blue flash illuminated the hefty canine's eyes for an instant. A brief moment later, it reappeared in the eyes of the spear-niel, and then trasnferred itself to the rest of its 'body', which began to flash white and cyan like Vanzilla's turn signal. Lisa had been testing new lightbulbs recently.

The spear-niel then grew bigger, powered by new energy, and floated right off the ground with astonishing dexterity. Still blinking, it planted its blunt part on the ground, and swiftly slid towards the Louds. They could tell it wasn't going to stop this time, but the key to dodging came even more apparent with its constant blinking.

 _A simple game of Red Light, Green light._

But time was hardly on their side here. With barely to prepare or tell that the blinking of the spear matched with the twitching of Greater Dog's left ear, the kids scrambled to find the right spot to safely stop themselves on. A lucky seven out of them managed to go through unharmed, but for Leni, Luna, Lynn, and Lincoln, no such luck. Luna and Leni were grazed by the white weapon, while Lynn and Lincoln failed to stop in time for the blue head to be harmless. This time, it felt like someone had harshly prodded them in the ribs, and that was never pleasant. Neither was the sore feeling of losing 4 more _HP_.

"I don't elbow you guys that hard, do I ?" Lynn asked with a groan of discomfort.

"It depends how much of a good mood you're in." truthfully answered Lincoln, hissing when his hand grazed his side. He was pretty sure he was going to feel that one even after a resplendishing of his _HP_ , which couldn't come soon enough.

"He moved his weapon around without touching or even looking at it. If it wasn't so easy to break his focus, we'd be in a world of trouble right now, dudes." quipped Luna.

While she agreed that Greater Dog's power was somewhat daunting, certainly placing him at the top of the Canine Unit on that standard alone, Lana found herself no less deterred to give him, this tall drink of slobbering water, the affection he was so desperately craving for. Despite his assault, he had not moved a iota from his sitting position, and kept waiting in baited breath for the little human's next move.

He simply couldn't wait to find out ! A pet ? A tummy rub perhaps ? Or... _**a surprise ?!**_ He loved surprises ! Surprises were the bestest of the best ! As bestest as Grillby's treats, or the Captain's compliments, or rolling in the snow, or his napping basket, or that little human's surprise- **Surprise ! He** _ **loved**_ **surprises !**

Greater Dog began pawing the ground with his overgrown mitts, and let out little whines of impatience. And Lana answered in kind, her hands feeling all itchy, and her wild SOUL gently echoing the ripples of her large wavering eyes. The sight would be amusing, if it wasn't so heartwrenching.

"Lincoln, please let Lana do her thing, before she litteraly implodes." Lori asked as she tried to repress the moisture creeping along her eyelids.

"You don't have to tell me twice." said Lincoln, doing a much poorer job at keeping up a manly image. _And that didn't change, no matter how hard he glared at the camera._

With a press on the good ol' favourite option of Dog fights, _**Pet**_ , Lana was finally free to tame the beast, so to speak, as the monster immediately kneeled closer to collect his due. Despite his imposing girth, she chose to pace herself at first. Every dog they had encountered had different tastes in petting, and the little blonde was smarter than going full Pet Mania on first contact. She thus started by rubbing circles on the top of his head and gently scratching behind his ears, with Greater Dog occasionally pushing his snout against her hand.

"There we go. Look at you, all frazzled and panting. You're the one who made all those Snow poffs, didn't you ?" deduced Lana in a cooing manner, as her hand went for the lower jaw. "You made more and more, and then you plowed right through them, to roll in all that snow to your little doggy heart's content. But you don't like leaving a mess, because you're a good guard."

"She's right." lisped Lisa in a whisper for the siblings near her to hear. "The snow is too well-placed compared to before. I dare say it's even been polished."

"Well, you can't spell ' _Keep your workplace in good order_ ' without ' **dog** '." said Luan, making brows arch all around. "What ? It's in there, isn't it ?"

"You're _REALLY_ spending too much time with Sans." deadpanned Lola. "Soon you'll have packets of ketchup and mustard bloating your pockets, and that just won't cut it, missy !"

"Shhh !" said Lily, putting a meaningful index over her big sister's mouth, so Lana's magic could work uninterrupted.

"Are you all tired now ? Is that why you want pets so bad ?" continued Lana in her syrupy voice, sitting down to beckon the canine closer. Greater Dog blinked his little tired eyes, and yawned with Lily's level of adorableness.

"So precious..." whispered Leni to herself. _She_ certainly wouldn't be doing such a good job if she was in her sister's shoes...

"Does anyone hear a creaking noise ?" quipped Lola out of the blue. The growing noise of an old wardrobe toppling over was indeed hanging in the air, but it had nothing to do with said wardrobe, and it wasn't the noise made by a macabre smile summoning itself along Lucy's lips while she daydreamed about eternal limbo.

Nope, it simply was the sound of a hill of a dog going for a quick power nap, and going down in an even quicker fashion.

* _THUMP !_ *

"DOOOOOOooooooo..."

 _Right onto Lana's lap._

* _"Greater Dog is sleeping like an oak tree log. Majestic, but probably too thick to be removed."_

The kids gasped in horror as they saw their sister being crushed under half a ton of dozing dog and doggin' heavy metal. The monster was making sure to make himself comfy by focusing all of his weight on the poor girl's knees, completely oblivious to the excrutiating pain he was putting her through.

"Holy Moley ! Lana, are you alright ?!" cried Lincoln, quickly getting himself overwhelmed in concern. This reminded him, and others, a bit too much of the first time Lana had tried plumbing without her Dad's help, which he strictly had forbidden. The wailing and broken foot of a four year-old buried under a dozen of heavy pipes tended to stick to young minds.

"Don't worry – urk ! – I'm fine." grunted Lana with the world's least convincing smile.

"Lana, please be honest. Is your sight blurry ? Can you feel your legs right now ?" fussed Lori, going full Goat Mom's Apprentice. She held Lana's hand and held it close to her chest, which was strangely soothing to the younger blonde. Lily was also by her big sis' side, kissing her cheek since she couldn't reach her boo-boos.

Her sister-in-SOUL chose a more rash course of action, and was currently trying to lift the overgrown mutt off the ground, or at the very least make him roll. But even with help, no dice. "He's... not... budging !" grunted Lynn in frustration, putting all her back into it. How was that monster heavier than a flippin' water heater ?!

"Guys, stop that, or you're gonna – nff ! – wake him up." pleaded Lana.

"How can you be worried about _his_ well-being, when he's most likely plaguing you with premature leg paralysis ?" sermonized a dumbfounded Lisa.

Despite the insufferable aching, Lana smiled. "It's not the first time I'm having a big softie invading my lap – aaah... – and it's not gonna be the last. Besides, he deserves that nap. It's been a long day for him too."

"Sis, you're a diamond in the rough. Probably coated in grime, but still shinin' fierce." praised Luna, giving the little martyr a quick hug. But when she pulled off, she caught a glimpse of a gleaming spark appearing in the corner of one of the gauntlets' eyes, and she caught sight of a white form pulsating on top of Greater Dog's armour. Looking at it more closely, Luna realised it wasn't pulsating, but sleeping. Snoring even ! And when it turned over to face into her direction, she was utterly gobsmacked. "Dudes, you're not gonna believe this, but he's back again."

The Louds followed the brunette's gaze, fearful at first to find a malicious flower. But what they did find was a whole less terrifying, yet a tad more... annoying.

"You again ?!" sneered Lori, keeping a seething gaze on the sleeping form of that little white dog, carrying the same happy-go-lucky smile he'd been harbouring when wearing her... _**Uuuuurgh !**_ She only calmed her nerves when a yelp from Lana made her realise that she was grinding her hand into dust. "Sorry."

"Pain everywhere..." moaned Lana.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think it's the perfect time for some good old payback." Lynn grinned mischeviously, as she rolled back her sleeves and audibly cracked her knuckles. "Let's see how he likes it when he wakes up buried under a foot of snow."

However, when she brought her arm forward to grasp the cold climbing surface, the albino-furred pup was suddenly wide awake. And he was excited to let everybody know it. " _Bark Bark ! Bark Bark !_ " he chirped in rapid succession.

And every time he did so, a white ' _Bark!_ ' projectile was shot forward, the first hitting Lynn square in the nose. But with how randomly the next spelled attacks rained on the humans, one had to wonder if the Annoying Dog was really doing it on purpose.

"Even onomatopeias are against us !" quipped Luan, as she kept hopping for her dear life. "This little dog really-"

"Dare say that ' _he is all bark but no bite_ ', and you might find your next nights to be rather sleepless." threatened Lucy to her sister's face, an eerie dark aura lacing her words.

"I was gonna say that he has a ' _way with words_ ', actually." cleared up Luan, pushing Lucy's mug off her, right as a ' _Bark!_ ' whizzed between them. "Plus, I already used that joke. You know me better than to _bark_ up the wrong tree !" she giggled merrily as she smushed her cheek against Lucy's, making her dodge another attack. "Get it ?" Lucy could only grunt a long, misery-ridden sigh.

"Well, at least they aren't hitting me." mused Lana, finding a silver lining to her current condition. Greater Dog mumbled in his sleep, and licked his pillow's cheek. She smiled. "I could get used to this. Wow, I think the lack of blood is starting to take effect."

"Negatory, except if you are of the belief that your cerebrum is contained within your toes. Which is not the case." professed Lisa as she dodged another word-head. She gained a critical look. "Crude calligraphy for crude attacks. What else did I expect ?" She didn't expect a second round nicking her in the back of her head, for one.

The dog's assault finally stopped, and once he'd rolled over to fall behind Greater Dog's form, with no * _Plop*_ sound to indicate any landing, the hmonster awoke and bounded off his bed with renewed energy. Lana was immediately filled with boundless bliss, and laughed as she felt ants crawling all over her legs. "It's good to have these puppies back." she patted them contently.

* _"Greater Dog is very excited to play more games ! SPEED has increased !"_

"He can go _faster_ ?!" Lola visibly paled.

"Don't worry, Lola." reassured her **'** knight' as he observed the unleashed sentry. "He might be faster, but he's also much easier to read. We just have to find a way to work out all that extra energy, and he should cool right down."

"Okay, but we can't go physical with him. Just because Lana is lucky to still have her legs, doesn't mean we can handle more of his roughousing." quipped Lucy, staying realistic. Besides, getting squashed under an overgrown, overexcited dog wasn't exactly high on her demise wish list.

"I think a game of fetch would be most appropriate." said Lisa, evening out her hair to make the attack's imprint in it disappear. "Seeing as we are lacking in wooden objects, might I suggest we use Lynn's sphere of Franco-Anglo-American outdoor entertainement ? Street name, baseball ?"

"Eeeeh, I'd rather not ?" Lynn sheepishly quipped, ball secured between her grey-blue gloves. "I know he won't eat him with that little head of his, but I'm not sure I wanna risk my most lucky baseball to a dog this big, especially with that pointy toy he likes twirling around." She could see it now : Her lucky Joey (the ball) reduced to a deflated heap, and thrown at her feet like a hairball from Cliff. All the while Greater Dog kept panting and beaming with pride over his _**murder**_ **.**

"Well we've got to use something !" Lana chided her big sis' stubborness, while trying to keep her wobbly footing straight.

As a ten-way argument-planning was sparking to life, sweeping in ideas from almost all sides, the party of Leniland chose to remain withdrawn from it. She was sure they would agree on a good plan soon, no need for her harebrained ideas. Instead, she just kept noiselessly wondering why it was called harebrained when there was no bunny rabbit around, and drew a little dog face in the snow with the tip of her boot.

And that gave her an idea ! Like, an actually _not dumb_ idea ! Before the mean voice could come back to destroy her sudden burst of bravado, she whistled to get her siblings' attention. They turned around when they heard the loud raspberry noise. She still needed practice.

"I-I think I've got something. Like, why don't we use s-snowballs ? No harm in breaking those ones, right ? Snow everywhere !" she proposed with a poor attempt of a genuine smile.

Lana gained a thoughtful expression. "Snowballs, huh ?"

' _Wow, look at that, there you go wasting their time once again. Be glad that she's actually trying to save you some face by pretending your plan's got a shred of potential. Because I'm sure that deep inside, she thinks this is a-_ '

"Brilliant idea, Leni !" chirped Lana, giddily scooping a snowball into her hand. "Greater Dog is crazy about snow ! That way, we combine both of his favourite pastimes into one ! It's sure to get him running like, well, a puppy !"

Leni vehemently inspected both her ears three times, but it didn't make any difference. The sound of her siblings actually backing up the fact that she had come up with something acceptable was still there, and it was making the biggest grin bloom on her face. _Looks like she could have some good ideas after all._

Lincoln pressed the _Play_ option, and Lana brought the frosty toy right under Greater Dog's nose, who immediately snapped out of his wild mood and to attention. "Greatey~, look what Auntie Lana's got for you~" she serenaded.

Greater Dog immediately dropped back on all fours. There was a something in the little human's hand alright ! It was a ball ! Made out of snow ! How did he not know something so great existed ?! And that snow looked so much more shiny and beautiful than the rest ! He couldn't tell why, but it just was. It really was !

"It's a snowball, made just for you." said Lana as she began waving the prize like a pendulum. "Do you want it ?"

Yes he did ! Yes he did !

"Do you reaaaaaaally want it ?"

 **Yes Yes Yes Yes _YES !_** **Mother of treats, this was everything he'd ever desired in the last five seconds of his life ! He quite litteraly couldn't see himself going on with his existence without that snowball ! He needed it. _He needed it NOW !_ **

Lana grinned. He was ready. "Then go get it !" she bellowed, and mightily swung the snowball behind her siblings. Greater Dog immediately gave pursuit, boldly leaping past the humans' heads, before landing with the grace of a ballerina truck. Oooh, he could smell that prize, hear it, feel it, _taste it..._

… but his eyes had completely lost it.

Unbeknownst to him, the snowball he sought had splattered against the ground, and fused with the rest of the snow, which came as a serious wrench in the Louds' plan.

"That can't be good. Poor pup's got nothing to fetch now." mumbled Luna sympathetically.

But the playful monster had not made the cut for the Royal Guard solely for his magic and good boy looks ! His stance dropped forward, propping his elbows on the floor. He then straightened his arms ahead, and kept a good amount of space between them. And with a low humming coming from his mouth, Greater Dog started shoveling all the snow in the area like a well-oiled bull _dog_ zer.

(* _Barking Rimshot*_ )

"You were saying ?" said Lincoln with an almost amused smirk.

"Lana, I think you've found your digging master." teased Lola. Looking at Greater Dog's insane effectiveness, Lana felt inclined to agree.

"The only question now, would be how many snow can he-" Lisa halted her analysis when Greater Dog hoistered 80% of the zone's powder in one enormous snowball. "Ah. And I don't suppose he's merely going to shuffle his findings to our feet ?"

A large shadow loomed above them all.

"I'm guessing that's a no." said Lucy, resigning herself.

* _ **FLOMPF !**_ *

Greater Dog's little present crashed down, and buried our heroes under pounds of snow. Fortunately, this wasn't their first rodeo when it came to be buried under something, may it be snow, mud, or clothes when they all went on chore strike. Before long, ten disgruntled heads popped out of the snow.

"Is everyone alright ?" called Lori as she made a quick head count. A flash of worry soon plagued her eyes. "Wait, where's Lily ?"

"I see her !" answered Lynn, spotting the wiggling of a little pair of legs right next to her. She easily liberated her arms, and unrooted her baby sister with ease. Lily giggled at the long bearded snow that now adorned her face.

"Do you think that if we throw a Gold, he'll come back with a wagon full of nuggets ?" theorised Lola, ever the opportunist.

With his mission accomplished, Greater Dog leaped over the pile of snow and humans, and returned to his position. But as he felt his turn coming, he turned his spear-niel towards them, with renewed glee in his eyes. And they knew what that meant.

 _He had another game in mind._

"Dig for it, dudes !" cried Luna, burrowing herself back into the powder. The others quickly followed, except for Lincoln on top, who had a little trouble going back in. It seemed that his fiery red SOUL wasn't too keen on the ice cocoon idea. Fortunately (?), Greater Dog seemed much more intent to chase the siblings he couldn't see with some playful pokes of his very sharp spear, and the cries of fear he mistook for delight only encouraged him.

But Lincoln knew how he could help. "Guys, his spear is flashing ! Only move when it's white !"

"And how are we supposed to know that, genius ?!" echoed Lynn's voice, followed by a yelp a bit too feminine for her taste.

"Follow my directions, and you should be, um, less in danger !" replied Lincoln. He got a few approving noises, and immediately focused on the action, ignoring the slightly more glowing outline of his SOUL. "Okay, he's coming from the South ! Lana, Lucy, be on the ready !

"On it !"

"Sure."

"White attack, blue attack, another blue one." Lincoln warned before every thrust. "Okay, he's done with that side, he's moving to yours, Lori ! Lisa and Leni, you too !"

"Roger that !"

"Understood."

"T-Totes got it !"

"Blue, blue, white- watch out, he's drawing circles with that white one ! Huh, not bad. Rather brut art, but still-"

" _LINCOLN !_ " snapped his sisters.

"Sorry ! Okay North side – Lola, Luan, and Luna – you're next ! He's getting really excited, so be snappy !"

"Ha, aren't I always ?"

" _Snow_ room for error !"

"You got it bro !"

"Blue, white, white, blue, blu- wait no, white !" Lincoln corrected himselg a bit too late.

" _Yikes !_ My butt !"

"Sorry Luan !"

"You tell us to be snappy, but don't forget you have to stay _sharp_ too ! Hahaha, get it ?"

"...And suddenly, I'm less sorry."

A few more stabbing pokes at the snow mound later, Greater Dog relented in his assault, and proudly sat back on his original spot. Once he did, the Louds, who were about to dig themselves out, felt their SOULs act up with the reappearance of the orange panels. They began beating as one, which slowly melted the snow around them.

"Didn't that snowman say it would take a ' _dip in lava_ ' for this crystallized water to melt ?" inquired Lisa, before gasping loudly. Her salvation from Lana's nagging ! Her hands plunged inside her backpack, and mercifully retrieved the Snow Piece, looking no worse for wear. "Thank heavens..."

* _"Greater Dog is all spent. Please apply some TLC on dog."_

While boy and girls groaned at the fight still not being over, the advice sounded good to Lana. "Well, I never say no to more petting. Lincs ?"

"Alright, but make sure you get out of the way if he decides to take another nap." advised the sole brother, pressing _Pet_.

Lana whistled. "Here boy ! You want some more pets, right ? Come and get them !" The burly canine didn't need to be asked twice, and immediately rubbed his face all over Lana's gaunted palms. The little tidbits of excitement still lingering around made him pushy, wanting more and more attention, but there was only so much love one little girl could give, even if it was an animal-lover like Lana. "I think he's... petting _me_ !" she said, completely overwhelmed by the large neck of fur feverishly brushing against her face.

* _"Pet capacity is only at 40%. Code Grease Monkey's situation is getting critically huggable."_

"He's too strong for her alone. She's gonna get smothered with nuzzles !" gasped Lola fretfully.

"Then what are we waiting for ? That option wasn't just Lana's gig, so let's pet 'till we're purple !" Luna called to arms, and her siblings quickly presented them, as well as their hands. Get it ? 'Cause that's what they need to- _Hey, don't look at me like that, this is still Snowdin you know !_

Anywho, the children dashed to their sister's rescue, by covering the love-craving neck with their digits, and rub as lovingly as they could. Greater Dog reared up his head when he felt scratchies from all sides, and tried to keep tabs on them all. But no amount of training could protect him from the amounts of affection eleven **D** etermined humans could dish out.

Soon enough, Greater Dog surrendered, by flopping on his back and letting his legs dangle on the sides. But Greater had no regrets. He had fought the good fight. The very good fight !

* _"Pet capacity has reached 100%. Greater Dog has been thoroughly contented, and will immediately shake your hand if you ask him to."_

"That's right, you big softie ! Don't underestimate the Louds, because we'll hug and love you until you go down !" gloated Lynn, both triumphant and glad to have found an active way to make monsters submit to her will, without actually hitting them. Something that would only spell trouble for them and her posterior.

"Wow, that's the least mean threat I've heard in like, ever." chirped Leni, meaning it without a single hint of malice. "Are you alright, Lana ?"

"I can't believe I almost lost at petting. Me, Lana Loud !" said Lana as she carefully brushed white shedding off her coat. "If it wasn't for you guys, this would've probably been my last rodeo. Those dog guards may be really cute and friendly once you get on their good side, but man, they're tough !"

"Yes... they are tough, aren't they ?" Lori mulled out loud. Things were not looking too good for their progress. Every encounter they had made with the Guard got more difficult than the last, and while it seemed they were done with the Canine Unit, it was most unlikely that they constituted the only unit the Underground's Royal Guard had to offer ; why bother naming them a unit if they were ? And, again, _they had a **Captain.**_ One they respected a lot. "That means the next guards are only going to get tougher. Let's just hope we'll be stronger too when we get to them."

"With a town coming up, I'm sure we'll find something to strengthen our defenses." nodded Lincoln out of his little expertise. "But I think it can wait 'till tomorrow, or at the very least, after we've let this dog go."

Lana's expression significantly drooped. "Aww, do we have to ? We just got him to behave."

"We can't keep him. He belongs to the wild. Not to mention he's got a job." Lucy dryly pointed out, even though she had also come to slightly appreciate the dog's shenanigans.

"We'll talk to his boss, I'm sure they'll understand ! And I'll clean after him, scout's honour !" she pleaded, hand on her chest and her eyes expanded in the widest puppy-eyed look she could summon.

"If a Froggit couldn't come with us, I don't think a three-hundred pounds dog is going to make the cut." Lynn wisely admonished. "Sorry sis, but you've gotta say good-bye."

Lana sighed in defeat. She didn't believe her request would actually be approved, but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained. She turned to meet the upside-down face of Greater Dog, still cheerfully panting and marveling at the world from this point of view. Lana gave a smile as warm as her SOUL, as she gently stroked his jaw.

"Well, it's been fun. But you've got to go home now, and so do we. Maybe we'll see eachother again someday, and maybe we'll get to play some more ! But in the meantime, stay nice and stay safe, okay ?" Greater Dog answered with an entusiastic " _Yip !_ ", and Lana knew the promise was sealed.

Still not being too great at showing his manliness, Lincoln pressed the golden _Spare_ option, and put an end to the play session.

* _YOU WON ! You've gained 0 EXP and 40 Gold."_

 **Fight over.**

{ _Music stops_ }

Greater Dog jumped back up, and collected his weapon. It was time to go home, and make his report to the others. What an exciting first month on the job this was proving to be ! But before departing, he decided to give his farewell by the book. Nothing less to be expected from a confirmed sentry !

The humans raised a collective eyebrow at Greater Dog, who was now shifting his head around, with his body remaining completely stationary. But the other brow joined its twin out of pure shock when the white pup emerged from his armour, looking exactly as promoted : _A white pup !_ No beefy arms, no giant paw the size of their heads ; just a little dog whose fluffy body perfectly matched with the size of his head. The armour was still like a statue, and only emphasised how huge it was compared to its owner.

"No way..." breathed Luna, thoroughly stunned by this last little surprise. "There really was just a little pup inside..."

"My mind is blown." monotoned Lucy.

"So... compensation much ?" Luan wriggled her eyebrows suggestively. Lori harshly bapped the back of her head. "Audience too young, gotcha."

"Pa'sassion ?" babbled Lily with an inquiring expression.

"Luan is telling her worst joke of the day. Ignore her."

Greater Dog, whose diminutive form was still as big as Lana, charged ahead to give the little blonde's face a good licking, sending her into a giggling fit. "I'm gonna miss you too, buddy !" she cuddled, getting a few last pets while she was at it. He then turned around, and jumped headfirst back into his costume. Somehow, despite his butt hanging out of the top of the armour, Greater Dog managed to steer it up the path leading to the town.

"How is that even possible ?" Lincoln scratched his head.

"As I was explained, a monster's body is mostly made of magic. It's most likely that the armour, designed to be mobile despite such a scant body inside it, only needs to have some part of it to move around." professed Lisa.

"Huh. I guess that makes sense." shrugged Lincoln, content with the answer.

Lisa's mind came to a complete halt at her brother's words, letting them echo inside a couple of times just for good measure. "I made sense out of a quirk of this mind-numbing world." she reiterated blankly, her body completely static. Then, like one of her chemicals, the little smile bubbling up to the surface made way for an explosion of sheer joy, one the little prodigy didn't attempt to keep dignified. "WOOOO ! SCIENCE WINS ! LISA LOUD IS BACK, BABY !"

As much as they wanted to poke some fun at the usually stoic girl's meltdown, boy and girls chose to let her have her moment. This way, they were leaving the area with sore bodies, tired minds, but spirits as high as they could get.

* * *

 _For all five seconds it was worth._

"A rope bridge. They're giving us a rope bridge." deadpanned Lola, as they all gazed at the rather narrow lane ahead of them, the feeble rope rows on the sides, and the huge gap under it, which they had to admit was one heck of a view, but also one heck of a drop. The Louds, understandably, weren't trusting that bridge one bit.

"Wow. There is cliché, and then there is clich _nope_." said Luan, her tone dead serious.

"You guys don't think Papyrus booby-trapped it, do you ?" asked Lana, tugging at the bridge's questionable security.

Leni gasped sharply, aghast at such a slander to her beau's good name. "That's totes balloney ! Papyrus would never put our lives in danger with a dangerous trap like that ! How can you even think that ?!" flared the fashionista with hands sternly on her hips.

Lana quickly withered under Leni's stink eye, rare to see and not easy to resist. "Okay okay, he didn't ! I'm sorry..." Thankfully, an apology was all it took to coax Leni out of her ire and back to a bright smile, much to Lana's relief.

"Leni does have a point. Papyrus is a bit eccentric, but it hardly seems like the kind of trap he'd make." remarked Lincoln.

"Especially when he's not here to boast about it." added Lori, squinting at the blurry path ahead of them, and at the lights that seemed closer than ever. "But trap or not, it's either crossing this bridge, or make a _huuuuge_ detour to find another way. And I think it's safe to say no one here wants that." The nodding approval was unanimous. Lori nodded back and pointed a dramatic finger ahead. "Then onward we go ! Just, not at the same time."

Indeed, the bridge could only welcome two siblings side to side, no matter their age. There was thankfully little fuss for who went first, as they really wanted to cross the gaping void as quick as possible. But upon taking their first steps, they paused to become aware of something.

"Monsters have did a really good job there. This bridge is as strong as stone !" said Luna, demonstrating it with a good foot stomping. And when she heard the dull sound made by the impact of her boots' soles against the ground, she found out just why it was so sturdy. "Wait a sec... it is stone !"

"I knew it !" exclaimed Lana, who had been feeling her mason instincts itching her brain the moment she'd caught sight of the non-wooden pathway. She traced her finger along the space between the boards should be, and found none. Lana then licked the grime on her glove, ignoring the grossed-out groans around her, and made her report. "Yep, that's paint alright. Someone painted this stone path to look like a wooden bridge. I don't get the motive, but there is a faint trace of... _tomato sauce_ in there, so..."

"PAPYRUS." concluded the sibs without a second thought.

"But what are the ropes for ?" pondered Lynn.

"Maybe he just doesn't want people to fall three hundred feet below." offered Lincoln with a chuckle. "No trap, ladies. All we've got here is the voluntary work of a good citizen."

Leni's passionate love for the Royal Guard trainee only grew from this triviality. "Can he be any more perfect ?" she sighed in pure Papyrus-related bliss. The others rolled their eyes, but with pronounced amusement. They were getting used to the enamoured display, and they could be at least glad Leni's smile was still its own little bout of sunshine.

The kids lost themselves in chatter as they continued their trek, making sure to watch their step. Looking down, they could see many more trees, as well as a lone house in the distance, lights still on. They wondered what other sort of monster could be inhabiting the modest cabin, and how Goat Mom was faring in her warm little home, left alone once again. Was she thinking of them ?

 _Lori and Lily had no doubt about it._

But as they were getting close to the other side, with the town's lights getting brighter with every step, they found their exit obstructed by the Puzzle Master himself, his blazing pizzazz all but restored to him since they saw him last. There he stood, proud as a peacock, his frame shining with cockiness at the humans' arrival, and overwhelming confidence in himself and his little secret.

And Sans was there too. For... support.

"HUMANS." Papyrus greeted solemnly, like a _Great_ Wizard welcoming players at the near end of their quest. "YOU HAVE COME VERY FAR, AND ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH. YOU'VE OVERCOME SOME OF THE MOST INSIDIOUS PUZZLES KNOWN TO MONSTERKIND. YOU'VE BEDAZZLED EVERY MONSTER YOU'VE MET ON THE WAY. AND I'VE EVEN BEEN TOLD THAT YOU DEFEATED THE ENTIRE CANINE UNIT, WITHOUT SO MUCH AS RUFFLING THEIR WHITE FUR ! I AM IMPRESSED, HUMANS ! AND THERE ARE VERY FEW THINGS IN THIS WORLD THAT IMPRESS THE GREAT PAPYRUS !"

The Louds couldn't help but puff their chests at the bout of praising. In one afternoon, they had conquered an entire forest and all of its dangers. They had met friendly monsters, not-so-friendly ones, and kindled some bonds beyond even friendship. They had smiled, sneered, given, fashioned, laughed, chilled, and played with enough dogs to fill a month worth of pets. They had resolved hanging mysteries, and unburied some more. They'd gotten to taste the superior ice-cream ! And most of all, they felt that they'd honoured all their oaths to the very end, despite a few unpleasant bumps then and again.

Not bad for an afternoon of hiking through the woods. Now, the end awaited them, and so did the dual result of their most memorable encounter of the day.

"BUT AS FAR AS YOU'VE GONE, YOU ARE NOT DONE YET !" continued Papyrus with a growing grin. "YOU STILL HAVE ONE CHALLENGE TO CLEAR PAST, THE HARDEST OF THEM ALL ! THE ULTIMATE TRIAL, COURTESY OF THE SKELETON BROTHERS EXTRAORDINAIRE ! WELL, SANS HELPED, A LITTLE."

"best knot tying ever."

"IT TOOK YOU FIFTEEN MINUTES !"

"still amazing."

"IT WAS RATHER SKILLFUL, I'LL GIVE YOU THAT." Papyrus consented, before turning back to the humans with a rejunevated grin. "READY, HUMANS ?! OR HAVE MY TRAPS ALREADY TIRED YOUR PROMISING ZEAL ?!"

"Tired to wait, you mean !" whooped Lynn, never the tired one in the face of a challenge. "I'm always up for breaking a sweat before bedtime, and your challenge might just be what the doctor ordered."

"You heard the lady ! Blow us away, dude !" shouted Luna, both arms flaring her trademark rock signs. The others followed with war cries of their own, with Lucy uttering a war sigh. Simple, but oh so deep, and still full of that good **D** -stuff.

"I EXPECTED NOTHING LESS ! BEHOLD THEN ! **PAPYRUS'** (AND SANS') **GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR !** " proclaimed the bombastic skeleton, whipping out a wooden remote, of which he pressed the upper button.

"Wait, did he just say 'Deadly Terror' ?" said Lincoln, feeling a teensy less brave about this.

"Uh, maybe we heard wrong, and he said 'Friendly Brother' ?" offered Lana.

Suddenly, the bridge began to rumble, sending the siblings onto the rope railings, and a loud whirring sound shook the area. From both sides, attached to the cliffside, two large platforms of steel rose from the valley below. Once they were high enough, walls rose from the far side of the platforms, and met above the kids to form a ceiling. And descending from the ceiling, was the Gauntlet itself.

A giant canon first descended on the right, brimming with black powder, and a metal hand with a lit matchstick just above the fuse. Another canon followed closer to the Loud pack, already projecting a jet of flame that was almost nibbling at the rope facing it. Two giant spears, the left one's head coated in razorsharp magic, and the one on the right crackling with electricity. A huge mace with spikes looking sharper every second one took a look at it. And, because every little thing in the world needed an odd man out, at the end of the bridge, a familiar little white dog hanging by its middle section. It seemed to be having the time of its life, as always.

And those were only the main course. A few appetizers were sprinkled in all over the ceiling, such as blades, axes, nunchakus, axe-nunchakus, spiked hammers, prickled hammers, blunt hammers, pink pillows that were actually more hammers with spikes, giant punching gloves – latex, stone, steel, or even plain wood with loads of spinters – a board with a really mean nail in it, sacks of flour, small wrecking balls, circular saws, square saws, squircular saws, octogonal saws, and a hoop skirt with an upside-down sombrero, a defective flashlight and clown shoes. _A sea bear was never too far away after all..._

"Nope, definitely _Deadly Terror._ " said Lincoln, his brow now dampened with apprehensive sweat.

"Woah-ho-ho, now that's MY kind of gym !" passionately whooped Lynn, a little more over the moon with every dangerous obstacle she noticed.

"If that's the case, I would like to terminate my current subscription." quipped Lisa, admitting some fear in her features. "There are safety measures that are clearly not being applied here, and I fear we won't be going past the day of free trial."

"The solution's obvious then, you've got to up those _puppies_ , hahaha !" cracked Luan, before ending her laugh abruptly. "But seriously, I think that dog is stalking us."

"The list only grows." Lucy brought her cryptic spiel. Strangely enough, Sans' eyes happened to shift for a second... and the young poet could've sworn she had just heard something disappear somewhere behind them. The dog only winked at the kids, which continued to confuse and annoy them at the same time.

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH ! IMPRESSED, I SEE ! I WAS INSPIRED TO CREATE THIS GAUNTLET BY A **GOOD FRIEND** **OF MINE** ! AS SHE LIKES TO PUT IT, ' _THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH WEAPONRY AND SHARP STUFF !_ '" Papyrus happily quoted, knowing his friend would be tearing up in pride if she could see his achievement. And soon, she would see !

"That's a lot of sharp stuff alright." Lori gulped at her reflection in the thunder-coated spear. But despite the heat, she managed to keep a cool mind. "So, the challenge is just to skip through it, right ?"

"SKIP, JUMP, OR ROLL OVER, ALL THE SAME ! THIS PUZZLE DOES NOT THREATEN YOUR CUSTOMS, ONLY YOUR SKIN AND BONES !" continued the ever-comprehensive skeleton, his brow fierce with righteousness. "ONCE I PRESS THIS BUTTON, ALL THOSE WEAPONS WILL ACTIVATE AND BLOCK YOUR WAY ! BLADES WILL SLICE ! AXES WILL RAIN ! CANNONS WILL FIRE RELENTLESSLY, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE ! AND, UM... THIS LITTLE DOG WILL DISTRACT YOU WITH HIS DOGNESS ! HOW UNEXPECTED ! NYEH HEH HEH !"

Lola shook her head. "Not really. And neither is _her_ reaction." she jerked a thumb in her twin's direction, to whom the distraction was working wonders, until Lola snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"Sorry ! Still got a little in me after Greatey." Lana chuckled sheepishly. She turned towards the Death Course, and found herself giving an earnest smile. "A good thing too ! That challenge looks awesome !"

"INDEED ! AND YOU WILL HAVE TO BE AWESOME TOO IF YOU WANT TO SUCCEED, FOR ONLY THE TINIEST OF CHANCES, THE NARROWEST OF PATHS WILL ALLOW YOU TO CROSS ! WILL YOU FIND IT IN TIME ?! OR WILL TIMING BE AGAINST YOU ?! I'M SO EXCITED TO FIND OUT !" the monster clapped excitedly, looking as giddy as a Papyrus in a pasta store.

Lincoln caught on the hint, and worked to settle everybody's minds to the same level. "Well guys, you heard him. All we have to do is find that path, and we'll be golden !"

"Do we really need more money ?" Leni asked naively, before the deadpan looks she received made her realise her faux pas. She nearly slapped herself, but settled for doing so mentally, less she wanted to appear going totes off her rocker. "O-Oh, you meant safe, right ? Got it." She wanted to further her thoughts on how different this puzzle felt from the others, not having the _Papyrus Prestige_ , but ultimately restrained herself from delivering another rant that she knew would only come as bothersome and annoying to her siblings, who must've figured that out _years_ before her.

So instead, she settled her eyes on Papyrus, who looked as radiant as ever, even when he was threatening them with more weapons than she herself had shoes, if you didn't count boots. But even there, she found something strange in Papyrus' shifting eyesockets. His stance appeared cool and confident, but something about him looked... tense. And that alone greatly worried his #1 human fan.

"Leni ? Were you listening ?" Lisa probbed critically.

"S-Sure ! Keep looking for the secret passage ! Done and done !" said Leni, awkwardly laughing the danger off.

Lori quirked a brow, but nodded all the same. "Close enough. Remember guys, we don't launch until we litteraly find the good way to pass."

"And if that doesn't work, I do a little cartwheel or two, and I snatch the gold, or remote in this case, for the Loud Clan !" gloated Lynn.

"Not if I get there first !" rebuked Lana with the same unbridled thrill in her grin.

Lucy and Lola sighed, but didn't bother to stop their hardheaded sisters. They still had the SAVE failsafe after all, and perhaps a little needle in the butt was exactly what they needed for some humility in their lives.

"READY YOURSELVES HUMANS ! BECAUSE ! HERE ! WE ! **GO !** " Papyrus raised a single theatrical index, held it there for dramatic tension, and finally let it fall forward.

The Louds readied themselves. Lynn and Lana readied themselves on imaginary starting blocks, their legs itching for a good run through maybe-mortal peril. Lori and Luna stood behind them, eyeing the course carefully while making sure they could grab the two daredevils by the neck of their coats if they tried to run ahead a little too early. The heads of Lincoln, Lucy and Lisa were peeking between their big sisters, mounted on eachother's shoulders like a totem. They didn't want to miss anything on any possible strategy, as well as the main action. Lola had hid herself behind Luna's leg, for she did want to see some of the action, but not at the expense of her hair. Again ! Leni was right behind Lori, hoping everything would be alright, and getting a few more seconds of hunky skeleton sighting, her new favourite sport. And finally, Lily appeared above the pack, lifted in the air by Luan, while she tiptoed to still be able to see something.

And they waited. They waited for their last challenge of the day to begin. Really hoping it _**was**_ their last challenge.

They waited.

And they waited...

 _And waited..._

 _And waiklmop¨$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$- NOT SLEEPING !_

"Um, is the course moving so fast, we can't see it ?" said Lynn, breaking her position as she scratched her scalp.

"If _you_ can't see it, dude, I doubt it. Looks like this show gpt a false start." replied Luna, just as intrigued as she was by the unmoving set of weapons. The only thing that was moving was the Annoying Dog, still slowly spinning and humming a little song to itself, one Luna felt like she had heard before.

"More like a no-show. Look." Lucy pointed at Papyrus, whose finger had stopped centimeters away from grazing his remote's lower button. The skeleton himself was barely smiling anymore, as his nervousness was much more apparent. When he noticed the humans raising their brows at him, he tried to save face by not showing it, with a quick 180° spin.

Sans too, gave him something of an odd look, though never lowering his grin. "paps ? Anything troubling you ?" he asked casually.

"TROUBLE ?! THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOES NOT GET TROUBLES, HE STOPS THEM ! WHY, HE EVEN LAUGHS AT THEM ! NYEH ! _HEH ! **HEH !**_ " Papyrus spun back around, and elevated his finger again. "LET'S DO THIS AGAIN ! ACTIVATING NOW !"

The kids fell back on their earlier stances, but didn't feel as threatened, thus they loosely sticked to them. They weren't wrong in doing so, as Papyrus once again stopped himself just before he could touch the red button. His tight smile had reappeared with a vengeance, and the monster tried to hide it once again.

"that, uh, doesn't look very activated. battery problem ?" Sans probbed a little more, knowing well that the remote worked on its holder's magic. The buttons were just for show, all he needed was to will the course to start swinging and firing, and it would do so instantly. Sans knew that. And he knew his brother knew that.

"Is everything alright ?" Leni asked in a soft voice laced with genuine concern that sent panicked chills down Papyrus' exposed spine. He took a quick peek behind him, and found the humans looking them with different looks, but all with at least a trace of worry.

 _Let's see._ Entertain humans. Amaze humans. Capture humans. Amaze humans some more.

 **NOPE ! No 'Worry the humans' on today's to-do list. He was going off-schedule, and in a bad way !**

"W-WELL, THAT IS TO SAY..." Papyrus fidgeted for a good excuse. One that could get him to his goal, without making him look like he was giving his dream up. "THIS PUZZLE IS... IT'S NOT... NOT MY KIND OF PUZZLE AT ALL !" Papyrus snapped his fingers in sudden illumination. "YES ! LOOK AT IT, SANS ! IT RENDERS CAPTURING THOSE HUMANS WAY TOO EASY !"

"What ?! No it's n-"

"Now now Lynn, let the nice skeleton finish." cut in Lori with her hand taped against her the thrashing brunette's mouth. Luna was doing the same with Lana, though the little blonde remained mostly calm.

"THE ARRANGEMENTS ARE ALL WRONG TOO ! SPIKES ON THE GROUND ARE FINE, BUT SO MUCH AT THE SAME TIME, AIMED AT THE HEADS OF INNOCENT YOUTH ?!"

The camera panned on Lily's wide pupils and quivering lip. A sad violin was being played somewhere.

"Nicely done, sis." Luan whispered a giggle. When it came to guilt-tripping, the sweet little tot could be quite devious.

"YOU SEE ?! ALL WRONG ! AND SO ARE THE FEELINGS, SANS !" Papyrus' level of acting was so high, it was almost at the Surface. "WHERE'S THE FAIRNESS IN ALL OF THIS, THE SLIM CHANCE OF VICTORY THAT GIVES THE PUZZLE ALL ITS MEANING ?! WHERE IS THE CLASS, THE EXPERTISE, THE PAPYRUS ?! WHERE IS IT, SANS ?!"

"he's talking to me right now." chuckled Sans. "but I gotcha. too bad though, it was a really good knot. guess it's better to _tie up loose ends_ while we can."

"I COULDN'T AGREE MORE ! AWAY IT GOES !" Papyrus didn't even bother with the remote, and clapped his hands. The weapons and platforms instantly retracted and disappeared to gosh knew where. "PHEW..." Papyrus wiped his forehead with great relief. That was close. If he had gone through with this, he could've seriously harmed the...

" _Awwww~_ "

Papyrus blinked at the strange noise. It sounded like that nice inn lady whenever he'd come to say hello, followed by a pat on the head and a nice little snow-water caramel. Or Sans, back in the days. As he tried to find the connection, he caught on the looks the kids were giving him. Cheeky smiles and bitten lips, with the kind of eyes one would make if they were seeing a monster cub trying to look all proud and mighty despite the fact that he was cute as ' _WAIIIIT A SECOND..._ '

"HEY ! WHAT ARE THOSE GIDDY SMILES FOR ?!" demanded Papyrus, a light glow brightening up his cheeks. "ARE YOU SO EAGER TO REJOICE IN YOUR DEFEAT, HUMANS ?! WHAT YOU'VE WITNESSED WAS NOTHING MORE THAN ANOTHER GLORIOUS VICTORY FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS ! NYEH ! HEH !" His powerful scowl slowly deflated in an uncertain frown. "...HEH ?"

' _starting to catch on, eh bro ?_ ' the stout skeleton chuckled to himself. He had meant it before : ' _wouldn't hurt a whimsun._ ' "how about we call it a day, bro ? the dogs have already made it home, and _grillby's_ about to close up for the night."

Papyrus shook his head at the mention of his brother's favourite lazy hangout spot, but conceded his point. "YES, I SUPPOSE IT IS RATHER LATE. A GOOD GUARD NEEDS HIS REST AFTER SUCH A GOOD DAY OF WORK AND PUZZLES ! AND A HOT COCOA WAITS FOR NO SKELETON EITHER !"

"That's one picky cup of cocoa." Luan whispered, getting a few quiet giggles in return.

"HOME WE GO !" declared Papyrus. Before he dashed off into the distance, he made one last boisterous announcement. "YOU'VE FOUGHT WELL, HUMANS, AND LUCK WAS ON YOUR SIDE ! HAVE A COZY REST TONIGHT ! FOR TOMORROW, SHALL BE THE ZENITH OF YOUR CAPTURE !"

The Louds sent him a collective " _Good night !_ ", and watched him take off, oddly faster than before. But to them, it wasn't odd at all.

"Aww, 'mate does care about us !" gushed Luna. "He's like Lucy the first time she made those little charms for Christmas, to protect us from mean ol' Krampus !"

"Well, they were effective, were they not ?" monotoned Lucy, knowing this was still a tradition she applied to this day.

"Didn't spot a lock of white fur near my bed, love." the teen chuckled good-naturedly.

"I still say we could've made it easy." pouted Lynn, along with Lana. The orange-hearted duo was still mighty upset that they had gotten scammed out of the sickest acrobatic course they had ever seen, just because it wasn't 'safe enough'. Bah !

"Maybe it's better this way." said Lincoln, working the nerve to soothe his sisters' moody behaviour. "I know you two got into serious scraps before, but this looked a little too insane even by those standards."

"You wouldn't say that if we had helmets !" argued Lana.

"Which would not have protected you from the flames and spears in the slightest." quipped Lisa, rollings her eyes at her sisters' childish behaviour. "And there is no need for all those daggers in your eyes, you know I'm correct."

"It was a bit obvious he wouldn't actually do it." remarked Lucy, pausing to let Lisa catch her breath over the mini-infractus she'd just experienced. "He kinda did it with most of his other puzzles. Hyping us up with a daunting task, then leaving us a simple path to get through it unharmed."

"You have to wonder if he's not litteraly doing it on purpose." mused Lori slyly. "Of all the monsters we've met today, he's both the most determined to capture us, and the least successful, despite some traps that could've really done us in if he'd wanted to. But it's becoming clearer and clearer that he's got whole other plans."

"Clearer ? Ha ! It was crystal the moment he mistook us for rocks. Heck, even before that !" snickered Lola, keeping any malice clear out of her tone. As harsh as it had been for her and her coiffure, this day still had some memories worth remembering fondly, and the monster-man-child was pretty high on the list. "Not that it's a bad thing. If it's friendship he wants, I'm all for it."

"And that's Lola talking !" laughed Luan, before hastily bringing Lily in front of her face before Lola could potentially sock her in the eye. "My shield is adorable !"

Lola's dark glare fell on Lily's peppy face, now right in front of her. The youngest Loud simply kissed her forehead, and cooed, "Lola", in the sweetest way possible. Lola sighed in defeat, and gently rubbed her sister's cheek. "Indeed, she is. You're just lucky I'm too tired to hold a grudge right now." For an instant, Luan considered herself the luckiest girl alive.

Meanwhile, with Lana and Lynn partly to terms with how awesome but risky cartwheeling through the death course could've been, the siblings made it to the other side of the bridge. The town entrance was in view now, and with it the promise of a good bed. But before that, they decided to have one last chat with the pudgy sentry still standing near.

"well, you kids made it. no need to thank me." Sans goaded jokingly.

"For what ? Existing ?" dryly snarked Lynn.

Sans ruffled her chocolate hair, much to her annoyance. "gee speed', you're gonna make pointdexter turn green- _er._ "

Lynn felt her cheeks flush, and spluttered for a moment, before swatting his hand off her. "You've got moxy, boney, I'll give you that much."

"thanks. but congrats all the same. not only did you make it, you gave my brother a good time, and you didn't catch a cold." he continued, his smile growing a little chummier.

"Will we see him again ?" quipped Leni in a tiny voice, not wanting to sound like she was begging. "He looked disappointed at the end. We didn't disappoint him, right ? Right ?!"

"Easy, Leni ! Breathe. Think of the Sales." said Lincoln, effectively calming the blonde down before she could drive herself to hysterics. Lori quickly took over.

"Close your eyes now. You're in a salon, cucumbers on your eyes, and your butt on the comfiest chair a mall can offer. Your nails are perfect, and your hair is being made by the best there is. Can you guess who that is ?"

"You ?" Leni blissfully answered.

"What ? Aww, Leni, I know I have my expertise, but come on..." Lori trailed off bashfully, before she caught on the deadpan look her brother was giving her. She coughed in her hand. "I was thinking more about tall and handsome, with the pearliest whites you've seen ? His name rhymes with ' _Itspapyrus_ '."

Miss Leni Marple had no difficulty finding the mystery man's identity, if her dreamy giggles and the sheer happiness oozing out of her was anything go by. "Why twintails ? So that there'll be twice as much love to give me ? Oh, mister P..." she all but melted to the ground.

"Let's give her a minute." assured Luna, putting her phone back in her pocket with a fresh recording full of sweetness on it. She turned back to Sans. "So, any idea on what your brother's gonna do next ?"

Sans scratched his cheek, thoughtful. "not a clue, kiddo. he's not going to do anything tonight at least, so expect anything in the morning."

"You don't think he's gonna try to _Fight_ us, do you ?" asked Lana with pronounced concern. The last thing she wanted was a chance for the friendly skeleton to get either hurt or upset over hurting them.

Lynn however, was far more dismissive. "Pshh, come on Lana ! Even if he does want to go for a scrap, what do we have to worry about ? It's like Lucy said, he'll try to make himself look super strong and menacing, and then he'll make his attacks miss on purpose every time ! Just like Goat Mom, right at the end. After that, he'll gloat off his loss, we'll applaud him, we'll all laugh, and he'll be off swearing that his next plan will be even more Papyrus or something."

"What _is_ 'Papyrus' ?" breathed Lucy.

"Perfection." sighed Leni.

"And, hey !" Lynn continued with a snap of her fingers. "It works both ways, since we won't be hitting back."

"heh. is that a promise ?" inquired Sans, his usual slyness pegged down a notable notch.

"Actually, it's already one !" quipped Lincoln, happy to share some information with their new friend. At this point, despite the occasional odd look the monster threw in his direction, he felt like he could trust him with that bit, if it meant he could reinforce his siblinghood's _Pacifist_ message. "Right before we entered this forest, we made a promise to never harm monsters, as long as _Mercy_ was possible. Even if it means we've gotta keep asking again and again until they either believe us, or get really tired of us."

"And that's the story of how we got so many bargains back at the Royal Woods' Summer Funfair." cracked Luan, the reminiscence of that hog-dog guy begging for them to leave bringing some laughs out of the sibs.

Sans smiled as well, but didn't chuckle. He simply shoved his hands inside his coat pockets, and lowered his brow back as he kept gazing at them. "nice promise. i usually don't make promises myself."

"Don't tell us ; too much work ?" smirked Lola.

"nothing gets past you kids."

"Well you don't have to worry about that with us. We've been working hard to keep it rolling, and we aren't stopping until we've rolled it back up Mount Ebott !" declared Lana with inspiring boldness. Her siblings backed up her claim with energitic cheers. Leni was also game, her spirit having been thoroughly freshened up by her bout of hunky daydreaming.

"heh. That's good. 'cause you know what i hate more than making a promise ?" quizzed Sans as he closed his eyes.

"Morning jogs ?" chortled Luan, along with everybody else.

" **People who don't keep them."**

[ _Undertale OST – In My Way_ ]

And suddenly, nobody was laughing. All smiles, grins, and amused giggles all went missing, and weren't welcome to come back. The nippy temperature, as well as the warm and easy-going atmosphere, was now absolutely bone-chilling. It was hard to breathe, hard to think, and when they looked at the breath coming out of their mouths, the kids found it quivering with dread, a feeling that was shared by their shaky knees. But why ? Why were they suddenly feeling so terrified ?

It reminded them of Flowey, yet only by concept. This kind of terror, it was less raw, with none of that creeping feeling all over their bodies, like thorny vines of malice. There was no guarantee, on the contrary, it felt very uncertain. All except for the grip they felt on the little pulses of light residing in their chests. They were still hidden, but something was squeezing them from the inside, just hard enough for the children to feel it without any pain. The hand was very cold though, quite litteraly trying to _freeze_ their will and options. And the fear was being shared equally, with Leni looking just as spooked out of her wits as Lucy was. Lincoln could also feel an additional splash of terror coming from the back of his mind.

Slowly, the Loud kids turned to look at Sans. Whether it was a flicker of courage still present in their SOULs, or sheer terror over finding out what would happen if they didn't, none of them knew. The skeleton felt different. They couldn't take him seriously a minute ago. Now, they didn't feel like they could take him anything else than seriously. His mysterious aura, once faint and almost nonexistant, was now coating his entire frame to the point where it was physically observable. ' _And here is that strange crackling noise again..._ ' noted Luan internally. It was the only thought she was allowed for the time being.

 _ **Because Sans had opened his eyes.**_

Only there were no eyes. The white dots had been completely removed, leaving dark empty eyesockets. And true, so were Papyrus'. But Papyrus' eyesockets were thin, and there always had been a comforting light in them, a never-ending warmth. Sans' eyeholes on the other hand were wide, stupefyingly cold, dark like the abyss. _And this time, everyone was noticing the darkness actively staring back._ Combined with the same large grin, now carrying a whole other meaning, and the overwhelming dread instilled in the kids' hearts was complete, whether Sans intended it or not.

" **I've come to like you munchkins, no joke there."** Sans spoke with absolute seriousness. **"You're good kids. You've got good rules. And you're going down a good path. All good. So... you'll be kind not to make my brother an exception. Because if you do..."**

A little _ding_ sound echoed, and Sans' left eye saw a much larger pupil flash in and out in it, burning with cyan and yellow flames.

" ** _...You won't like where_ _that_ _path leads you. Capiche ?_ "**

"S-Sans ?" squeaked Luan.

" ** _CAPICHE ?_ " **he pressed in a booming mumble ; the cold grip on the kids' SOULs dropped to freezing territories, and, lasting only the mere couple of seconds he'd stressed his warning, the frightening form of a giant white _thing_ blinked in and out above his skull. Boy and girls nodded frantically, desperate for the crushing panic to go away.

[ _Music stops_ ]

And it did ! Just like that, the dreary sensation and heavy atmosphere were just, gone. Poof !

"alright, cool." said Sans, his white pupils back where they belonged, along with his lazy demanour, looking completely oblivous to the deep terror still etched on the kids' faces. "i think it's time i go sleep on it. and by it, i mean anything comfy enough for me to sleep on. right, sunshine ?"

"Y-Y-Yeah, t-t-totally." Luan laughed a jittery laugh, still trying very hard not to wet herself.

"sleep tight, kiddos. and don't worry, i'm rootin' for ya." Sans gave a genuinely amicable wink, and started walking. The Louds made little acknowledging noises and kept waving weakly as he trekked on. Once he was fully gone from their view, a collective sigh they didn't even know they were holding was released.

"What... in the seven _hays_...was that about ?!" shrieked Lola as she panted on. She had been intimidated before, and even scared by someone looking at her. Toriel's disapproving look, Lori's stern glare, Flowey's wicked mug ; but none of those had been able to get such a cold feeling of unbridled terror out of her.

"Another scar to add on m-my soul." murmured Lucy, trying to hold on her monotone despite her being still shaking from its very core. It didn't last long however, as she approached her brother. "C-Can I hold your hand for a m-m-moment ?" she squeaked fearfully, her inner 8 year-old self speaking. Lincoln gently collected her hand in his own, and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder, while he gave her some soothing head rubs and Lynn patted her back.

Lori was among the least affected, but she still took a few shuddering breaths to ease herself into a calmer mood. And as she did that, she picked up the sight of her youngest sister sitting on the ground, who thankfully looked like she had registered way less of Sans' freaky influence than they did. But she was still shaking a little, looking around while making small whimpers. Lori scooped her in her arms, and the tot immediately burrowed her face in her chest. A familiar scene, really...

"It was a warning shot." Their leader's claim both startled and confused the kids as they turned to look at her. "Remember Ronnie-Anne and Lincoln's first kiss ? When we heard that he had a bully, and began picking boys at random to tell them what was what ?"

"It took a month and a few wedgies to get Billy off my case, but he's alright now." said Lincoln with a hint of moodiness, while Lynn gave him a small apologetic shrug.

"We had litteraly no idea, not a single proof that he was the one stuffing sloppy joes down our brother's pants." Lori kept going with her reasonning. "But we didn't give it any second thought, none of us did. We acted straight away, because we wanted Lincoln safe."

"And I still appreciated the thought ! Just not how you handled it." Lincoln felt the need to precise. "But I get where you're going with this." So did his mindmate apparently, as his voice shifted to its strange echo once again. And nobody could ignore the pronounced bitterness in it.

* _"A sibling's love can make them do the craziest things. To keep them safe, or to help them see beyond..."_

There was an awkward beat following the unfinished sentence, until Luna took over. "I kinda see what Ghost dude is saying. I mean, we of all peeps do know our crazy, like the time we lost the twins in that supermarket when they were barely Lily's age. We leveled half the place trying to find them !" she flashbacked to the hectic afternoon. She could still smell those watermelons Lynn and her had chucked at the security guards' heads to keep their search going. Turned out Lola and Lana had been able to find their way back to the car, and admired the show from afar, especially the part where their older siblings were being thrown inside patrol cars.

Safe to say, the Loud family was never allowed to go within a hundred meters from the supermarket, or the manager they had assaulted with a trolley.

Shaking her head, Luna continued. "Point is, we're plenty intimidating ourselves when it comes to family. So, if at some point we met somebody who could potentially deal some bad stuff to one of us, wouldn't _we_ try setting on some ground rules, and the serious consequences for their teeth if they don't follow 'em ?"

"Our first meeting with Toriel certainly did outline such a method of thinking. It's even safe to say that apply it amongst ourselves at times." Lisa nodded wisely, but let a bit of annoyance rolled off her professional tongue. "But as much as I can get this sibling love explanation, it's still rather raw of him to give us such a talkdown, especially after we respected his wishes to play along with our skeletal friend's shenanigans."

"Mesays he's just a concerned big bro." preached Luan, having recovered a good deal of her perky attitude. She wasn't trying to play favourites here – Sans had been rude to give them chills of this magnitude, and he would get his share of 'flower power' for it – but she didn't want to believe that Sans had done it out of a sick thrill to see a bunch of kids writhing in fear under his gaze, like _someone else_ would have. "The guy's a good guy, I'm sure of it. We'll just say what we saw was his mysterious mask cracking a little, if that makes any _Sans_ , hehehe !"

"Yeah, he is a weirdo alright. But a nice one !" concluded Lana with a shrugh and a smile. "If he smells like hot-dogs all the time, then he can't be a bad man !"

The Louds couldn't help but chortle at Lana's whacky evidence, but ultimately accepted it. Sans was no Flowey, they were sure of it. All that altercation meant to them now was that they shouldn't try to harm their brother, which they had no intention of doing in the first place, and that there really was a few more layers to this ball of grease and bad puns.

"He's also weirdly clear-sighted." quipped Lucy, making everyone jump. She hadn't released her soft grip on Lincoln's hand, and was probably intending to remain that way until they'd get to their room.

"What do you mean by that, Luce ?" asked Lincoln.

"I didn't say anything before, but... I'm kinda curious as to how Sans knew that Luna and Luan were roommates, when he chose their nicknames. We... never told him that. We didn't tell anybody."

The kids' eyes, sans Lucy, suddenly exploded wide open. She was right, how did he know that ?! All they gave him was their names and quirks ! Had he assumed by their anagram names ? Was he a detective in secret ? Sans, the slobbing sleuth ? ( _Every Friday night, only on Channel 77_ ).Or was there truly something else...

" _Uuuuuuuuuugh..._ " Lola moaned while dragging her gloved claws down her cheeks. "Can we _PLEASE_ try to figure this and everything else tomorrow ? I'm gonna go BALD with that splitting headache !" She tearfully looked at herself in the mirror of her compact. "Then again, it's halfway done, why stop now ?" Leni's guilt struck back with a vengeance.

"Aww, cheer up sis ! It'll grow back during the night !" chirped Lana.

"How do you know ?!" spat Lola in retort.

"Not the weirdest thing that's happened to us today."

Lola's ire evaporated instantly, and her features grew a hopeful smile. "That's all the more reasons to get us a comfy bed, presto !"

"To Snoozetown, ahoy !" cracked Lincoln, pointing an imaginary cutlass ahead. Swept by their levity, the Louds decided to heed Lola's offer of sleeping on it, and proceeded towards the town entrance.

All the while keeping Sans' warning in a corner of their mind...

* * *

As they came before the large white banner welcoming them into **Snowdin** **Town** in broad letters and decored with colourful garlands, the children's hearts were filled with awe. Despite the streets being mostly empty due to the rather late hour, the warm spirit of the town was still very much present. It made them feel cozy and safe, akin to the home of their Goat Guardian, to a lesser extent, but at a greater scale as well.

"This town is a major step-up from how Home felt like." said Lori, finding the little town absolutely lovely. Her admiration only grew when she spotted what stood raised onto what she assumed to be Snowdin's central area. "They even have a Christmas Tree ! And look at all those _presents_..." Lori hungrily licked her chops.

But Lynn halted her right then and there. "Woah there, tiger. We know monsters can be a bit loony, but that doesn't mean tearing apart their presents while laughing like you've overdosed the eggnog is going to set a good first impression."

"It happened once !" rebuked Lori. However, she quickly surendered to the flat glares sent by her peers. "Once every year..."

"Never mind that, check out those folk ! They're all so fluffy !" chirped Luan, demonstrating the very few Snowdin residents still roaming around. Most of them had the appearance of furred antropomorphic animals, such as bears, a rabbit, and even a mouse with him/her head poking from under layers and layers of cashmere. "Think there's room for some _fur_ -riendship here ? Hahaha, get it ?!"

"I prefer the jester monster myself." quipped Lucy, referring to the orange horned monster right next to the mouse, apparently wrapping up their conversation. "There is something about that unmoving smile that speaks to me. All a show to mask his deep sadness inside..." Luan raised an eyebrow at that, intrigued for a reason even she couldn't quite place.

"If this is the town's central plaza, then it is indeed a rather small settlement compared to the likes of the Ruins." noted Lisa, comparing Home's market place and different shops, to the two or three establishements Snowdin seemed to actually have. "At least there's a library, so that will be something worth looking into tomorrow." she smiled, before squinting at the sign above the building's entrance, which was a good deal away. She was almost sure it read 'LIBRARY'...

"We should check out the Shop too ! It smells so good..." said Lana, taking a deep sniff off the delicious aroma coming from under the first door of the dual cottage closest to them. The two establishements stood connected by a small house, no doubt being the owners'. Above the first door, 'SHOP' written in light brown letters with a little black pouch emblem on top of it. Mirroring its brother, the second had 'INN' marked in the same colour, and a big black ' **Z** ' above it. While the light still poured from doors and their adjacent windows, the shop's entrance presented a sign reading ' _Sorry, we're closed ! Have a super-duper night anyway !_ ', a little heart with bunny ears as signature on the bottom down corner.

But what truly caught the eye of the boy of the band, were the two familiar Underground belongings under the window between the two houses. First, another Box to store items, which they had no purpose for the moment, but could come to be useful later. And second, was a glimmering SAVE star, its warmth right on par with the friendly ambiance the town gave overall.

"One last SAVE to get Greater Dog's playtime bruises off us, eh bro ? I've gotta feeling tonight's gonna be a good night after all." chuckled Luna, all too happy for her scrapped knee to get healed.

"Please make my hair grow back, oh please make my hair grow back..." recited Lola to any greater power that could be hearing her plight. _Well, let me think about it..._

"One SAVE, coming up !" said Lincoln, already feeling his inner narrator taking their cue for another strange but invigorating speech.

* _"Despite how sore you feel, the wonders such a friendly town can offer,... it fills you with_ _ **Determination.**_ _"_

 _ **LOUDS – Snowdin Town**_

 _ **LV1 – 176:46**_

 **File saved successfully !**

The SOULs reacted accordingly, giving a pulse that soothed our heroes' bodies and minds. Lola was not really at ease however, as she shakily brought up her mirror once more, for the moment of truth. And... _why not, is what I say._

" _Yes yes yes yes yes !_ " Lola pranced around out of pure happiness to see her blond hair back to its prideful state. She angled her mirror and brushed at her golden bangs to make sure there was no scratch left ; a successful endavour, she quickly came to conclude. She used her joyful momentum to properly tackle-hug her brother. "Oh, thankyouthankyouthankYOU !"

" _I_ didn't do much, but you're welcome all the way." said Lincoln as he returned the hug. A big brother's job was never done, however. "But now that you have your hair back, maybe you'd like to be a little more genuine in a certain apology you made earlier ?"

Lola's mood soured quite a bit when she heard that, but didn't immediately turn it down.. She did feel a whole lot better now, and she could admit, to herself at least, that she had been a little _hasty_ with the words she had used. But the moment she turned to look at the ditzy culprit, ire started to boil up inside again. So, Lola simply turned her nose in the air. "I can't do it." she answered succintly.

"Lola, come on." Lincoln crossed his arms, showing he meant business. He liked to think that.

"I'm not saying that I don't want to apologise, I'm just saying I can't be genuine tonight, even with my hair back on my head." explained Lola with an uncomfortable frown. "If I try, it'll just come out forced and lame. And then we'll get into another argument, because I'm really tired, and things will be even worst ! So please, let me do it tomorrow, okay ?"

Lincoln resisted the urge to groan, and took Lola's offer into consideration. As many less than pleasant implications this highlighted, this was at least better than a ' _I didn't do anything wrong, it's all Leni's fault_ ', and so on. If the sassy little princess was bothering herself to give such a complex reason to not apologise, it had to be genuine, at least a little bit.

"Leni ? Are you fine with it ?" Lincoln extended the final word.

"...Sure ! Lola's totes right, it's way too late for all that stress. The last thing I want is give her early wrinkles !" Leni gasped at imagining Lola with the body of a 6 year-old, but adding the skin and hair of an 8 decades-old crone. "And hey," she added as she kneeled by her little sister's side, "I'm still sorry about what I did. Can you accept _my_ apology ?"

Lola had the face that shouted " _AS IF !_ ", but her mind was swinging towards a calmer resolution. There had been more than enough angst and ire spent for one day, and she didn't see herself sleeping if she was to break that gentle smile traced before her. And sleep was really one of her major priorities right now ! "Sure, apology accepted." Lola relented with a sigh. "Now let's FINALLY get ourselves a room !"

"If they still have one." piped Lucy.

"Dibs on the mat if they don't !" called Lori, beating Lynn by a millisecond. A pudgy hand tugged at her cheek, and Lori rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes Lily, I'll share it with you." Lily gave a happy thumbs up.

As Lana called dibs on the Shop's trash can, with nobody objecting, Lincoln took Leni's hand, and gave it a small squeeze. "Sorry I put you in the spotlight again. I should've known she wouldn't take it back within an hour." amended Lincoln.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." recomforted Leni, as she watched Lola rejoining the group to participate get a word in their little auction. But the haste she was putting in her step, Leni couldn't stop wondering if it had more purpose than that.

' _Well, getting away from you is a pretty sound option. I mean, duh ! It's clear she's still mad at you ! What, you expected everything to be over like magic~ ? If it's not some kind of elixir to make you less of a_ _ **hopeless klutz**_ _, then it's not going to do much. I say kudos to Linky for reminding you that. Stop getting your hopes up for diddly squat, you dummy !_ _ **Nothing's gonna change !**_ '

"Leni ? Are you coming in ?" called the white-haired brother, in the midst of entering the Inn with the others.

Leni was torn away from her inner monologue, to her immense relief. "Coming !" And she quickly followed inside.

* * *

The Inn's lobby was as simple as its entrance suggested, with a warm pattern of yellow and orange over the carpeting and the walls, and a comfy little red couch on their right. The crispy atmosphere quickly prompted the Louds to remove their headwear and scarves, while they approached the wooden counter. They rung the little hotel bell – not without a little anxiousness of seeing another Dog monster pop up from somewhere – but nobody answered.

"Aw man, don't tell me we made it too little too late." bemoaned Lana, worried they had jinxed it with their little joust.

"Well, the front doorway has been left wide open. Either service is still available, or the bulgary ration of this town must be exceptionally low." rationalised Lisa. "And that's not counting a certain sugar thief who's been no doubt ransacking houses off their yummy desserts."

"Should we just hijack the joint ?" said Lynn, her elbow against the counter making her feel like a Greaser against a funky juke-box.

"Yeaaaah, you know we've been blacklisted in a lot of places, including England." Lincoln shuddered. He'd left on the school bus as a first-grader embarking on his first trip across the Atlantic Ocean with three of his sisters, and had returned as ' _Lincoln the lolly lunatic_ ', flanked with ' _Deep dive Luna_ ', ' _Bus'n'Bite Lynn_ ', and ' _She-who-nearly-made-white-beans-illegal_ '. None of them were allowed on a school trip ever again, even as they got to move on to Middle School and onwards. "Maybe let's not extend our records to the Underground."

"Ba'nny." cooed Lily, batting the air with her hand.

"Something on your mind, Lily ?" asked Lori.

"Ba'nny !" Lily insisted, adding more fervour in her arm waving. Lori caught on Lily's message, and suddenly noticed what Lily had seen the moment they had crossed the room's carpeting. The head of what appeared to be a little bunny poked from behind the counter up to its eyes, which were intensely focused on the Inn's potential new clients.

"O-Oh ! Hello there !" greeted Lori, not sure if she should be startled by the little monster's sudden appearance, or embarassed that they didn't notice her sooner.

The small bunny blinked at her.

Luan tried to break the ice with a warm laugh. "We are not intruding, right ? We don't want to be all up your _hare_ , hahaha !"

More blinking.

"Do you, um, work here ? Are you an employee ?" Lincoln probbed further. "Do you need a stool ? Are you... already standing on a stool ?"

Did you see that ?! _Blinking._

And that's where the tired little princess had enough. "Look, can we book a room or not ?! Sorry if I'm a little prude, but I'm this close to pass out here !"

"...You want a room ?" finally spoke the long-eared child, her voice as soft as how steeled curiosity was on her features.

"She talks !" exclaimed Luna out of extreme relief, then coughed awkwardly when she realised the amount of decibels she was dealing when saying that. "I-I mean, not that it would be a problem if you couldn't, heh. So love, got a name, and any decent flat for eleven ?"

The monster child decided she couldn't answer either of the questions without a little help. "Mommy ! We have customers !" she called broadly, her little voice reaching quite far when she put her SOUL into it.

No longer after she did, the Louds could hear a faint answer coming through the doorway that led to a flight of steps going up. "Customers ? I'll be just a minute~"

The soft sound of footsteps brushing against the stairs' rug was soon followed by the Inn's manager, who unsurpisingly appeared as an antropomorphic bunny lady, slightly taller than Lori. Her cream fur was as bright as her smile was welcoming, and completed the pearl necklace hanging loose around her neck, as well as the pearl earings attached to the tip of her long ears. She wore a long yellow summer dress, with a blue undershirt, and no shoes. On the back of her head, two black hair sticks held a little bun of extra fur.

"Hello there ! Welcome to Snowdin's premier hotel." greeted the monster lady, with a friendly tone that felt just as warm as her establishement.

"Premier out of how many ?" asked Lisa, strictly out of town reconnaissance than sarcasm. Unfortunately, the neutral tone she always carried never made it easy to tell the difference, and that earned her an elbow jab from Lana.

"Don't be rude ! Have you seen their carpeting ? You can totally sleep on it !" chirped the little blonde, as she dropped on all four to nuzzle the soft and, to her joy, slighly dirty floor.

"Lana, could you please not ?" asked the sistriarch, but she quickly saw that her sister was too enthralled in the fluffiness below, and decided it wasn't worth getting riled up about it. Instead, she turned around to address the monster lady. "Ignore her, she's had a long day. Now, would you have any room available to book ? Possibly big enough to house us all ?"

"With a personnal bathroom !" Lola eagerly added.

"And an entry to your air vents." quipped Lucy.

"And a view on the village !" happily chimmed in Leni, before the awkwardness of the day took over once more. "I-If that's possible, of course..."

"I sure hope so ! Everyone knows a good view is a must for the image of a hotel ! It's like a _window_ to the _soul_ !" chortled Luan, collecting her due of groans. "Get it ? I made a _double_ ! Scratch that, it's a triple, hahaha !"

"Guys, guys, let's be reasonnable here, we don't really need all that stuff. Heck, since when do we need a bathroom that's not basically public ?" Lincoln tamed the growing excitement, to which the sisters pouted and mumbled along the lines of him being a ' _stick in the mud_ ', and ' _the golden flower hotel didn't mind_ '. However, the little mischevious glint quickly spread along his pupils. "But you know what's a must ? The bounciest matress they have, and at least three dozens pillows ! I still haven't got my revenge for the last night at that hotel ! Loco Lincoln hungers for feathers !"

The kids roared in approbation, to the exception of an abashed Lori, who facepalmed. So much for being tired. "Like I said, long day. We won't be any trouble miss, you have my word." she profusely swore to the innkeeper, who only giggled goodnaturedly.

"Please, call me _Vidalia_. And it's quite alright, you are far from being the loudest guests I've had this week alone. Now, I think I may have..." she began rummaging through her rather disorganized side of the counter. "Oh dear, everything's a mess, I really-"

A nudge to her midsection cut through her incoming rant. She quickly found the culprit as her daughter, who was waving the exact piece of paper she was looking for. The bunny lady's smile turned grateful as she was handed the document, and patted the child's head.

"Thank you, _Ophie_. Where would I be without your system ?" she commended. The little monster's look stayed the same, but a glint of pride shone by the corner of her right eye.

"Those furry folks are adorable !" silently squealed Lola.

"They _fur_ are !" Luan slyly cracked, no limits to her zany inspiration.

"You are in luck, we might just have the thing for you." said the innkeeper as her eyes scanned the paper. "We've just finished building a third floor, and the brand new Angel Suite. Extra-large bed, brand new piping, a great view on Snowdin, and, um, a nice access to vents, I suppose."

"Wicked." said the concern party of that last part.

"Of course, the bed might not be capable to handle all eleven of you, but we have sleeping bags for those kinds of emergencies. And as your young friend have shown, our grounds are just as slumber-friendly as are our beds." the innkeeper smiled tenderly at the sleeping puppy position Lana had adopted, already off like a light.

"Then I think we'll take it." confirmed Lori, to her siblings' joy.

"Great !" clapped the bunny lady, glad they had reached such a quick and proffitable agreement. "Now, the bill is to be footed in advance, so that'll be **880 Gold** , please."

And just like that, joy was dead. The sudden shift in mood startled Lana awake, who despite sleeping, had heard everything. "E-E-Eight hundred ?!" she sputtered. That was a whole lot of chocolate coins !

"Why yes, 80 Gold per person. But you're right, admission for infants is free, so that'll be only 800 Gold." the innkeeper brightly offered.

" _Only_ ?! We don't even have half of that !" cried Luna, hands gripping and pulling on her brown scalp in dread. "Just when it all looks squeaky clean, this place finds a way to throw some more gunk at us !"

"Let us try to stay rational." said Lisa, keeping a cool head. "We still possess enough money to at least pay the night for four of us, plus Lily. The others will simply have to employ plan B, and sleep outside. If there are no volunteers, I suggest a little triangular virtual battle of digits, instincts, and pure luck ; street name, Rock, Paper, Scissors."

While the suggestion earned some accepting groans out of the kids, it got an appalled gasp from the innkeeper, who couldn't bare the thought of children sleeping in the cold, even more so if she was the one letting it happen. "Oh my, there's no need for that now. Tonight is going to be especially cold, even for us furred folks, I can't possibly, in good conscience, let any of you sleep outside."

"That's nice, but how are we gonna pay ? Working ourselves out of debt ?" pondered Lynn with a thoughtful frown, that quickly morphed into a grin. "Hey, there's an idea ! If you need a hand or two to keep the place clean, then maybe we can cut a deal ! Back home, we have our chores done in a snap !"

"If nobody gets distracted." droned Lucy, with a hint of smugness that Lynn could feel poking her in the back.

"Well, I do them eventually. And hey, if it's to repay a debt..."

"Oh no no no. It's very kind of you to offer, but there's no need for that either." the innkeeper politely refused, as child labour wasn't in her good books either. She also couldn't imagine plaguing their worn-out forms with even more gruelling work. "If you don't have the money, then don't worry about it, you can stay. It's all on the house."

Suffice to say that the Louds were aptly shocked. To get a deal for ice-creams was one thing, as it had only been a treat, and they'd ended up paying something in the end. But to have a slate of 800 Gold, _eight hundred round pieces of precious golden metal_ , wiped clean out of sheer kindness ? They knew monsters were of a nicer, if stranger nature than humans, but there were still limits to generosity. This reminded them of their previous stay those last few days, but even then, Goat Mom had simply welcomed them into her house, as in, in her proprety. This was a _business_ , one that couldn't be making that much dough if the town was as small as they had acknowledged it to be. So, instead of joyous relief, the Louds instead felt reluctant to take the overly generous offer.

"For free ? For- no, we can't do that !" exclaimed Lori, knowing she was speaking for everyone. "I'm sorry ; this is really, really nice of you, but it's just _too_ nice ! Let us give you something in return, anything."

"Yeah ! And if you can't take our dough, at _least_ let us work for it." pressed Luna. "I know, I can make a jingle for your biz ! I won't mind, trust me. If you're wasting time on somethin' you love, then you ain't wasting it !"

"I'll give a hand too ! I won't get near grime or icky dust, but I'll still help however I can !" said Lola of all people. She knew Toriel would be mighty disappointed if she took advantage of such a nice lady's generosity... Okay, _and_ she knew she couldn't score more bad points today, with what she'd said to Leni earlier. But still, she wanted to make Goat Mom proud !

"Oh, I just don't know..." Vidalia bit her lip, torn between her conviction to be nice, and the kids' conviction to repay the act. But her inner debate was put on hold when she felt her daughter calling for her attention.

"Mommy, I just remembered ; a skeleton with a mustache came in earlier today, and gave me this while you were talking with Auntie Camille." said Ophelie, as she handed her another piece of paper.

"Skeletons can grow mustaches ?" inquired Lynn.

"No, but they can attach fake ones onto their infurating, grinning mugs." answered Lisa with a sour frown, and they understood why when the answer clicked in. " _ **Sans.**_ " they echoed with a wide range of emotions, mostly dry deadpan tones.

Meanwhile, the innkeeper's smile gradually reappeared as she read the note, and even stiffled a giggle at the last lines. "I believe we have our solution. Your friend, ' _Sans_ _ó_ _Lopéz_ ', has footed the bill for you." she announced, with her daughter showing the humans the large jingling bag of money. The smell of grease fluttering from its hessian truly left no doubt as to the mustachioed monster's true identity. "The Angel Suite is all yours, children."

" _YEAAAAH !_ " the Louds cheered in unison, throwing confetti and strands of carpeting in the air.

"I take back anything I've ever said about this delightful bringer of joy." proclaimed Lisa, almost shedding a tear over such kindess, with absolutely no ulterior motive.

"There's just one condition."

"Then again..." said Lisa with a renewed terse tone.

"While the descriptions I have here all seem to fit ; although I can't say I know which one is capable of teleportation..."

* _Golden-hearted vampire exasperated moaning sounds_ *

"... there's just the matter of a passing signature, to make sure you've arrived safe and sound. He says that amongst you, it must be..." the innkeeper squinted her eyes in apt confusion, "... the 'one with questionnable shoewear' ?"

Not wanting to frighten the kind lady or her child, Lori concentrated every bit of the brief death glare she couldn't supress on a nail on the wall behind them. The peg immediately rusted itself to dust, letting the durable clock hanging from it tumble to the ground. Lily was the only one to notice this, and patted her big sister's cheek soothingly. "If I hear a snicker..." Lori stated omniously.

"Yeaaah, we choose life." Luan gave it to her straight. She liked to fool around, but she most definitely wasn't one.

Lori made quick work of her signature, but took her time to read the note in closer details. "Huh, that's peculiar..."

"What is ?" asked Lola, her eyes full of snoopiness as she was joined by the others to peek at the note from the not-so-mysterious saviour. "Is it the fact that he describes Lana as ' _fitting right in with the Snowdin Guard_ ' ?"

"Heh, that's not weird, that's common knowledge." said Lincoln jokingly. Lana took it more than well, imagining herself wearing a cool armour, a giant halberd in one hand, a gnawed bone in the other, and fields upon fields of dirty snow to roll into. An interesting choice of life, but also a Hops-less one.

"No, the weird thing is that he's left his address right there." Lori showed the drawing in the note's bottom left corner, just under a doodle of a bone with a sombrero. "So much for staying incognito."

"I don't think he was even trying, sis." commented Luna. "I mean, dude's even drawn a plan to get to his house on the back !"

"Wow, those skeletons are right in the neighbourhood, too." observed Lincoln. "Should we visit them tomorrow ?"

Lori was about to add on that, but she stopped when she merged two recent thoughts with the hefty back of Gold in Ophelia's hand. It was clear that the little bunny, as well as her mother, knew who had paid the room for them, because his house was near the hotel. He was a neighbour, a known face. And then there was that sly little jab at her and her, um, faulty sole problem. One of the many puns and jabs he had been taking at them all day, along with a mug that would probably creep into their nightmares for the next few months, even beyond that.

That was when Lori got an idea. An awful idea. Lori got a wonderful, _awful_ idea. And while the grin that sprouted along her features wasn't exactly up to its reference, it was enough to show how devious she was willing to go in what she considered to be, the most appropriate and litteral kind of _pay-back._

"Excuse me, Vidalia ?" Lori asked syrupily.

"Yes dear ?"

"Me and my siblings, in addition of being tired, are quite famished. Is there any chance that your inn might have any food options, for now and tomorrow ?" Lori continued, poking a certain truth as their stomachs went off with a meaningful growl. Those Nice Creams could only satisfy them for so long.

"Absolutely ! We serve breakfast and dinner at certain hours, with the dinner cooked by me, and the breakfast made with my sister. She runs the shop just next door." chirped the innkeeper, then gained a pensive look. "But I must warn you, while we are still serving right now, the meals' costs are not included in the room's. If that's a problem..."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that !" dismissed Lori with a little laugh, but her smile still held that flare of mischief. "Just put mail the bill to our _generous_ friend's house. He even drew a plan ! Isn't he _so_ nice ?"

The sibs, catching on Lori's quip, grew malicious smiles of their own, and patted their stomachs at the feast they were about to partake. Lisa's smile was the widest, not caring a bit how petty this revenge really was for a scientific woman of her caliber, and even Luan didn't hesitate joining in. Her pun buddy had fired a harsh first shot, it was only natural she made him _eat_ those words.

"Well, if he's okay with it, then I see no problem with this arrangement !" said the innkeeper, blithely oblivious to the eerie grins all around her. Her daughter could see it, but instead decided to draw the sight for her art project, due next week. She didn't know why, but they looked strangely similiar those scary human pictures she'd seen in those fairy tale books.

"Oh, he'll be more than okay with it." Lori chuckled darkly. "You'll see, when you hand him that bill, _he'll take it with the widest smile you've ever seen._ "

* * *

Sans paused mid-sip, feeling a disturbance in his funds. It was as if... his hot-dog quota for this month had suddenly _tripled_. And he had half a mind blaming a colourful bunch of kids for it, even if he didn't know exactly why.

' _eh, fair game._ ' shrugged Sans, as he brought his mug of coffee back to his mouth. After messing with them all day, he could understand if they had decided that they needed to play a trick of their own. He welcomed it, even ! Made thinking about their future encounters a little more exciting.

Plus, they didn't exactly part on the best of terms. Sans scratched the back of his skull. Maybe he had been a bit hasty in giving them the no-eyes schtick. Maybe making bloodcurling threats to a bunch of kids, some very young, wasn't the nicest thing he could've done. But did he regret it ? Absolutely not. He couldn't afford to be lenient, even while holding his part of the deal, and even though they're only children.

 _After all, the last time he was lenient towards a child, it cost him..._

"SANS ! WHY ARE YOU DRINKING COFFEE AT THIS HOUR ?!" berated Papyrus as he descended a staircase. The future Royal Guard prodigy had adorned himself with a long orange nightshirt going all the way down his knees, and a small bobble hat on his head. His bare feet shuffled against the 80's-ish carpeting as he walked to the couch and his brother on it, who had only discarded his blue jacket for the night. "IT'S NOT HEALTHY ! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP !"

Sans only chuckled at the irony of his brother's words. "me ? missin' out on dozing hours ? c'mon paps, you know me better than that."

"THAT I DO, BUT IT'S STILL NOT GOOD FOR YOU ! IF ANYTHING, YOU SHOULD BE DRINKING IT WHEN IT MATTERS, IN THE MORNING ! WHEN YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AWAKE !"

"morning ? what strange word do you speak of now, brother ?"

Papyrus simply sighed at his brother's wit. "I KNOW YOU ARE NOT A FAN OF MORNINGS, BUT TOMORROW IS VERY IMPORTANT ! DO YOU KNOW WHY ?!"

"still fresh as a cinnamon bunny, bro. i wouldn't miss your decisive capture for the world." sincerely assured Sans, still with a playful wink. "after that, i'll organize a graduation party you won't remember, or want to remember."

But instead of lighting up with enthusiasm, like Sans expected his brother to do, Papyrus instead sighed some more, with a wistful approach. "YES, THE CAPTURING..." he mumbled pensively.

Sans quirked an eyebrow. "i thought you'd be more excited."

"I AM EXCITED, I REALLY AM ! I'M CLOSER THAN EVER TO BE IN THE ROYAL GUARD, TO SHINE AS THE UNDERGROUND'S NEW PROTECTOR, AND TO HAVE EVERYONE KNOWING HOW COOL I AM ! I SHOULD BE... UNABLE TO EVEN SLEEP, AND YET..." Papyrus paused in his rant, his SOUL pressured with restless worry. So much so that he allowed himself to sit right next to his lazy bro. "SANS... AM I DOING THE RIGHT THING ?"

' _ah. came that far, eh bro ?_ ' was Sans' thought, as he put down his mug, and forwent his relaxed position deep into the couch cushions, just to show that he was listening well. "that's a tough question. any reason you feel that way ? or maybe... reason _s_ ?"

"YOUR ALPHABETICAL PERCEPTIVENESS IS AS SHARP AS EVER, BROTHER !" remarked Papyrus with a melancholic sigh. "IT'S JUST... UNDYNE ALWAYS SAID HUMANS WERE DANGEROUS CREATURES ! BEASTS THAT COULD DISINTEGRATE YOU WITH THEIR LASER EYES, AND STRANGELY CUTE BATONS OF SPARKLING DOOM ! BUT AS FAR AS I'VE SEEN, ONLY ONE OF THE HUMAN LOUDS WAS SPARKLY, AND IT SPELLED NO DOOM FOR ME !"

"they did make your armour look shinier though." noted Sans with his usual grin.

"AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT, BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT ! THOSE HUMANS WERE SO NICE ! STRANGE AND VERY NOISY, YES, BUT IT'S ALL PART OF THEIR CHARM ! THEY ARE SUCH GREAT PEOPLE TO TALK TO ! DID YOU KNOW HUMANS HAVE FLAVOURED KINDS OF COLD MILK, WHICH THEY AGITATE A LOT, AND THEN DRINK WITH A STRAW ?! 'MILKSHAKES', THEY CALL IT !"

"sounds sweet."

"DOESN'T IT ?! NYEH... DOESN'T IT ?" Papyrus echoed with his shoulders sagging once more. "THEY HAVE SUCH A COOL WORLD, AND THEY ARE EVERY BIT AS COOL TO INFORM ME ABOUT IT, AND TO SOLVE MY PUZZLES WITHIN THE RULES, AND MORE ! THEY ARE JUST SO FRIENDLY, ESPECIALLY THAT ENERGETIC GIRL, LENI ! SHE HAS A SMILE THAT'S ALMOST COMPARABLE TO MINE !" Papyrus looked at his hands, bare of his warm mittens, with a bit of frustration. "BUT IT MAKES EVERYTHING SO MUCH MORE COMPLICATED ! IF THEY WERE THE HOOLIGANS UNDYNE MADE THEM TO BE, BY STOPPING THEM, I'D BE THE SUPER COOL HERO I ALWAYS DREAMED OF BECOMING ! BUT NOW, IF I CAPTURE THEM, WHAT DOES THAT MAKE ME ? WILL I BECOME A... _BAD GUY_?"

"hehehe. c'mon paps, nobody thinks you're a bad guy. not even the kids when you first met 'em." teased Sans, knowing full well he had an important part in that.

"YES WELL... THEY MIGHT NOT THINK SO WHEN I CAPTURE THEM ! AND I'M NOT EVEN SURE IF THAT'S A GOOD THING ANYMORE ! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT WE'RE CAPTURING THEM FOR !" Papyrus cried out in palpable annoyance, and for good reasons. Nobody had really bothered to tell him what would happen to the humans he'd capture, but he hadn't let that stop him, for he had good hopes that the King was just in the market for exotic creatures to witness, and humans were the hot trend since... well, ever !

But now that he had met _those_ humans, he just couldn't assure himself of that thought anymore. Undyne was pretty dang determined to capture a human no matter what, and he wasn't 100% sure that it was to invite them over for some tea. More like 80% sure. But that was a variable he cared about now ! Because...

"I CARE ABOUT THEM, SANS. AM I ALLOWED TO DO THAT ?" Papyrus asked wistfully.

Sans' eyes widened. Things had gotten philosophical in a hurry. What could he say to that ? Well, he knew what to say, but how to say it, now there was the tough part. He truly thought this experience would lift his bro's spirits, but it looked like it had given the opposite result, and all out of his good heart. But perhaps that's where the situation laid.

"you can care about them." Sans answered with upmost seriousness. He turned to meet his bro's uncertain look. "the question is not if you are allowed to, but if you want to. do you want to care about them ?"

"WHAT SORT OF MADNESS DO YOU SPEAK OF ?! OF COURSE I WANT TO ! THE GREAT PAPYRUS NEVER REFUSES KINDNESS ! HE ALWAYS HAS A CHEEK TURNED FOR A KISS TO BE GIVEN, AND A STURDY SHOULDER TO POUR YOUR FEELINGS ON !" the younger skeleton declared with blazing passion.

"but you don't want to fail undyne."

Papyrus sighed. "NO, I DON'T. AND I KNOW SHE WILL BE VERY DISAPPOINTED IN ME IF I JUST LET THEM PASS LIKE THAT..."

"then do like i do when i've got sweet mustard and ketchup, and only one 'dog." suggested Sans with a toothy grin.

"POUR BOTH OF THEM AND MAKE A MESS ?"

"a delicious mess, but not exactly what i'm talking about. you should try to compromise. if you don't want them to walk all willy-nilly out of town, then confront them just before they do."

"BUT THEN, WHAT ?!" insisted Papyrus.

"ah, that's up to you. if you wanna fight, then fight. if you wanna make friends with them, then do that. whatever path you take, i've got a feeling you'll all have fun walking it down."

A hopeful spark lit Papyrus' eyesockets. "YOU REALLY THINK SO ?"

"eh, probably." shrugged Sans half-apathetically, half-jokingly, but with whole sincerity. "but hey, whatever you decide to do, i'll be rootin' for ya, bro."

"AWW, SANS..." Papyrus scooped his shorter brother in a tender hug. He quickly wiped off that moisture that conveniently happened to be there when things were getting emotional. "YOU MAY NOT BE MUCH WHEN IT COMES TO WORK OR RESPONSIBILITIES, BUT YOU ARE ONE GREAT LISTENER !"

"and with no ears. man, i'm good." Sans chortled, as he patted his bro's back.

"I'LL EVEN LET THIS ONE PASS, FOR THE INTEGRITY OF THIS NICE HUG !" said Papyrus, not without a hint of exasperation. He then placed back his bro back on the couch, and jumped back up. "YOU KNOW WHAT, SANS ? YOU'RE RIGHT ! CONFRONTATION IT IS ! AND I'M SURE THAT ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT, I'LL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO ! THESE HUMANS WON'T KNOW WHAT HIT THEM ! BECAUSE I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO HIT THEM WITH !"

"that's the best thing i've heard all day." chuckled Sans. "you should go to bed. fluffy bunny's coming for his night hopping in five minutes."

Papyrus clapped in rapid excitement, and zoomed to his room to prepare the necessary bed rituals for his favourite story. He wasn't gonna cry this time, he swore it ! Sans could only watch him scrambling up the stairs with apt amusement. There was the Papyrus he wanted to see.

But as he let coffee trickle past his teeth once more, Sans went back to ask himself the same question he'd just answered for his bro. What was going to happen ? He wanted to trust these kids to behave, he really did. He didn't sense a single bad bone in them, even in the most aggressive ones. And if that failed, he could at least assure himself that they'd be too scared about the consequences he'd layered out for them. But when they had what he was pretty sure they had, could they really think about the consequences ?

But now let's say, Papyrus chooses to become friends with them. Great ! Maybe they'll get a sleepover out of it, so he can exchange more jokes with the young comedienne. That kid had potential, and about a day of his energy wrapped into a single of her buck-toothed smiles. But if they were allowed to continue, then not only would Paps not see his dreams of popularity come true – or at least, not in the way he intended them to be – but that means those humans will get to the next zone.

 _And the Royal Guard there was a wee bit more zealous about doing their job, and with the skills to back it off._

' _lady, you're killing me with that promise._ ' Sans sighed internally, sipping the last drops at the bottom of his mug as noisily as he could. ' _well, things are finally changing. might as well see how far it can go. before they decide they want to do it all over again._ ' The pudgy skeleton raised an 'eyebrow'. ' _if they do decide it. oh well._ '

Sans made one stop to the kitchen, before he mounted the stairs up to his prime (and sole) storytelling audience. He let the coffee machine do its job, as it would through the rest of the night. Because if he wanted to see what tomorrow held, Sans was gonna have to make sure this night went without problems, hitches...

 _Or a bunch of intrusive vines..._

* * *

Despite being Snowdin's 'premier hotel', the inn didn't welcome much guests. Mostly anyone that visited the little town usually knew someone there, and stayed at their home. Sometimes though, outside of the few guests that had a legitimate reason to book a room, monsters would come to sleep to the inn just to make the innkeeper's business work out. That was even the whole point of the Angel Suite, designed to welcome a very special **type of guest** , and a bed for his very special type of girth, all at his demand and expense.

But in spite of this, the inn did have its regulars, in the form of the lumpy Howard trio. A tight band of brothers whose works around had made life in the Underground a little easier and more modern. From an ice-block maker, to the Ball system, to even gloves that could protect fire. As in, not a protection from fire, but for the fire itself. Needless to say, they were respected figures in the neighbourhood.

Which was the reason why nobody had really ever raised complaints about their obnoxious snoring, which rattled the hotel walls with the cacophony of their power tools when they'd work around the different sets requested by the Underground's N **umber 1 star**. But hey, nothing they could do about it, right ? Eventually, everyone signed off that loud inconvenience as melodious, reminiscing of a lost hope, whatever that meant.

But tonight ?

"Lincoln, either you put some pants on, or you stay away from that bed !"

 _Those monsters were getting a taste of their own medicine._

"C'mon Lola, it's been a long day. I've been walking, narrating, and getting my butt kicked by all those monsters. Let me have this !"

"I don't want your butt germs here !"

"I thought we moved past that !"

"I said that you could do it on the couch, where, let's be fair, grosser things happen every day. But I refuse to see you do it somewhere I'm gonna sleep in ! It could get in my mouth !"

"Pshh, just get dressed like Lola said, and come check this out, bro ! I think I see something under the covers..."

"LYNN, IF YOU POUR A DUTCH OVEN UNDER THOSE BEDSHEETS, I SWEAR IT'LL BE YOUR LAST ONE !"

"Buzzkill..."

" _Nooo !_ Leave me alone, you soap witch !"

"Hey, that's totes not nice, Lana. And totes not true ! Just look at my nose ! And besides, Lori told me, that Toriel told you, to take a bath every night after a day of adventures. You've been rolling in the snow and getting licked by all those dogs all day ! You almost smell like one !"

"But the smell's the best part ! Why the hot water, Leni ?! What are you so cruel ?! I'll melt away !"

"Oh my gosh ! Melting ?! Lana, I-I'm sorry, I had no idea- _hey_ , you're trying to trick me ! You used that excuse before, and Mom told me it was all a big fat lie !"

"Dang it ! If that's the case... _Dry Towel Escape !_ "

" _Help ! Lana made me blind !_ "

"We've got a runner ! Lily, you've got to keep your diaper on while we're in the room ! I mean, it's called a _nappy_ for a reason ! Hahaha, get it ?"

"Poo-poo !"

"Hey now, there's no _room_ for this type of language, missy ! See now, was it so hard- Lily, what are you doing ? Aw man, you've wetted it, and you're not even _soggy,_ hehe ! Wait, why are you... aiming- LILY, NO !"

"Woo, this calls for some tunes ! * _Fast harmonica jazz and heavy foot tapping to the beat_ *. Uh Lis', what are you doing ?"

"Just testing how much this air vent can whistand with a little acid of my making, which will also cleanse it of any trace of rust. The innkeeper will thank me later."

"Dude. Remember the Royal Woods Spa ?"

"...Ah. I see your point."

"Besides, isn't Luce in those vents ? The fumes could make her even paler."

"Not anymore. I found a better spot."

"What the ?! What are you doing outside, dudette ?!"

"In those hypothermic conditions, I might add ?"

"The cold reminds me of the hollowness of one's touch, and the angle making me slip reminds me the inevitable oblivion we are all slowly drifting towards. The view is pretty awesome too."

"Well come back in to enjoy it from inside, because that window is not staying open ! Lincoln, tushie off the bed, now !"

"Never ! Fight the pink power !"

"Heck yeah, bro !"

* _"The thought of keeping your buns toasty... fills you with very silly_ _ **Determination.**_ _"_

" _Guys !_ " The chaos dialed down. "I know it feels nice to unwind, but remember, we're not at a swimming pool two blocks away from home, we're in a hotel in a lost world ! So please, let's try to stay reasonable and-"

"STINKY MISSILE, GET DOWN !"

* _ **Splorch !**_ *

* _Tense silence, betrayed by the sound of slow_ _ **non-water**_ _dripping_ *

"...You know what, I could do with some unwinding myself. Get in line, and give me your requests for what you want your bodies to be bended into."

"Hey Larry." asked one of the monsters tiredly, as Pandemonium doubled in intensity on the upper floor, punctuated with cries for help, bone cracking, and the occasional beast-like growl of a girl that had finally run out of patience. "Do you have this weird feeling that this is karma ?"

"LORI, I CHANGED MY MIND ! I'LL TAKE A BATH, JUST FORGET WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE CORKSCREW ! _AAAAAAUGH !_ "

"I think I do, Moe. By the Angel, I think I do." answered the other, before shoving his head under his pillow to muffle the sheer pain oozing through the ceiling.

* * *

An hour later, things had simmered down inside the room, and everybody was fine, for the most part. Lori had stayed merciful to their pleas, and only bended what could be easily undone without any scrap. They also didn't run into any trouble for their rowdiness, as the innkeeper had only come once to check on them, and bring them the sleeping bags necessary for the night. Not a word about the noise, only asking them what they wanted for breakfast tomorrow morning. They didn't know whether noise was such a constant around here – it was the home of the Great Papyrus after all – or if the long-eared monster was just trying to be nice to them. Which, compared to most of the monsters they had encountered today, was undisputably welcome.

So, with the night fully coming along, the Louds were partaking in some pre-bedtime activities. Lola and Lana were bouncing and making all sorts of acrobatics on the bed, Lincoln was at odds with Lisa on her portable checkers game board, Lynn was throwing her baseball against the wall, and Lucy was writing in Lily's company, interpreting the tot's babbles and half-words as helpful advice.

As for the four oldest girls, they were occupying the bathroom for some much needed night adjustements, and reflecting on their day in front of the sink and its mirror.

"Well, I think we can agree that today was certainly something." said Lori, pausing in her tooth white mintening. "From our peaceful sanctuary in monster Ruins, to litteraly returning to our wild little quest."

"Wild's about right, brah." enthusiastically quipped Luna, as she kept massaging her cheeks with some of the inn's facial cream. Snow-scented said the flacon, which was apparently a thing, and all good with the rockaholic. "This morning alone was crazy ! That battle with Goat Momster was all kinds of intense ! I mean, she was packin' up some serious heat !"

"Aaah, you did that one on purpose~ !" giggled Luan in-between passages of her trusty thread of floss.

"Just this once. But seriously, we found out we can go back in time ! Back in _time_ , dudes ! That's one of the awesomest kinds of weird that's ever happened to us !" Luna rambled excitedly, keeping a certain hope that this power would follow them out of the Underground. Pop quiz, meet Ready Luna ! But a spot of sourness quickly appeared on the teen's face. "Too bad that psycho had to go and make it sound all sick."

"It's only sick if we use it like he did. And we won't. We'll use this power when it's absolutely necessary. Nothing less than why we used it in the first place." assured Lori with a wistful edge in her tone. "So let's just hope we WON'T have to use it again."

"I hope so too." Leni agreed almost automatically, while she gave her hair the last few brushes it needed to stay beautiful. "But if this morning was crazy, then this afternoon was, well, crazier than that. All those new monsters, all those new places, all those adorable puppy guards ! And," Leni had to sigh longingly, "their hunky-dunky trainees..."

"Ah yes, we found friendship in those woods, but you got lost in love ! So lost in fact, you were tripping over your feet all day !" chuckled Luan, making Leni blush a dark pink hue. The clownette swung an arm around her big sister. "Ah, I mean it in good spirits ! Besides, you are getting better at not getting completely lost into his eyes, and keeping yours on the prize ! Trust your _guts_ on this one ! Get it ? Because he doesn't have any !" Luan chortled loudly, covering up the groans of dismay inside and outside the bathroom.

"Aren't you sure you found your soulmate too, sis ?" said Luna, flashing a teasing grin. But it had poor effect on her roommate, who kept smiling all the way.

"Soulmate is a little strong. I was more thinking about a cellmate, 'cause we're deep locked into our _pun_ itentiary !" Laugh. Groans. Rinse and repeat. "But Sans is really just that, a very funny guy ! I can even say we're friends now ! Well, as long as he doesn't do that creepy voice again. That was chilly, and I don't mean it as a joke. Darkness should be served in something you can at least call cute and adorkable."

"You mean Lucy ?" chirped Leni, already feeling better.

Luan tried her best to quash the blood fluctuating across her pink cheeks. "Uh, sure, let's go with that. But good ol' Sansy was only a good part of what made this day so fun. I can't forget about Drake ! I can't believe I managed to make my first comedian pupil today ! It just felt so... so accomplishing ! He left the nest so fast..." she sniffled, her eyes welling up with pride.

"Chilldrake was a pretty swell dude too, once he got his priorities straight." hummed Luna, wondering what the cool bird could be doing right now. "And let's not forget Lola's new friend. He wasn't working that ego or style at first, but now he's playin' that jacket like he's ringing a bell ! Say, did anyone hear music when he put on his new duds, or was it just me ?"

"O-Oh. Well, I'm sorry if I didn't hear you playing." mended Leni, while quitely chatising herself for being so oblivious all the time. "But _my_ favourite battle was with the dogs ! Like, I know they are more Lana's thing, but that one with the long neck was just the cutest thing ever ! And that blindish one too ! And also the two kissing- you know what, they were all super cute !"

"Yeah, even if they did litteraly try to poke us with all sorts of dangerous weapons. Honestly though ? I think I'll remember that old lady reindeer the most. She felt... relatable, in a way. I don't know why." Lori asked mostly to herself.

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow ? Do we get to visit the place ? Are we even sure where we're headin' ?" asked Luna, her tone flaring with curiosity. The question wasn't lost on Leni and Luan, who were done with their nightly endavours, and turned their attention on the thinking blonde.

"I'm all for taking a look around, we all agreed to that. But we can't stay too long, because now, we've got that Royal Guard targeting us. Which means we better keep moving if we don't want an entire garrison to take us in, and throw us into some sort of dungeon. Or worst."

"You mean..." Luan put a hand around her neck, and gulped anxiously.

"I doubt they'll go that far, but we can't take any risk." responded Lori, narrowing her eyes. "I just wish Toriel could've told us who that **ASGORE** guy really is..." She shook her head, and switched gears onto more important matters. "But we do know where we are heading. Toriel told it to us during our... first try : we have to keep moving forward, because the exit is somewhere down the path. And I asked for a bit more info during our private tea session. Here's the basic rundown."

" **Snowdin** was our first stop. Next up, there's **Waterfall** , a cave filled with underground rivers and beautiful crystals lighting up the walls. Then, we'll get to **Hotland** , which is really like the name says, because the place is structured around a gigantic lava pit. We'll have to be extra careful there."

"Don't worry, we'll be _hot_ on eachother's heels !" cracked Luan.

Lori, despite her groan, nodded. "I hope so. There was also something Toriel heard about a new **mechanised area** inside Hotland, in which resides a certain elevator that we _need_ to find. Because if we do, it'll take us directly to the heart of **New Home** , the new capital of the monsters."

"They gave their new capital the exact same name as the old one ?" inquired Luna with an amused smirk.

"Well, their King is really bad at naming stuff." recalled Leni. "So, if we get there, does that mean we'll find..."

"Yep. The exit to the Underground. Our ticket back to our life on the Surface." Lori concluded eagerly, for knowing their end goal was assuredly making this adventure and its trials all the more worth it. On that, everyone in the room could agree.

"Okay, we've got a destination. But are you sure that **Barrier** Lucy talked about will let us pass ? It's been keeping all those monster dudes prisonners for centuries, what if it's the same for humans ?" asked Luna.

"Well, if we rely on Lincoln's legends – which, at this point, aren't so legendary anymore – this Barrier was created by human magicians. In that case, it's pretty darn likely that it won't affect us. If it let us in, why wouldn't it let us out ?" Lori objectively explained.

"That makes sense. But enough sense to conquer the Underground and its weirdness ?" mused Luan with a grinning nonchalance that rang at her newfound influence.

"For our sake, it'll have to do." concluded Lori.

"Heh, you took the words right out of my mouth, sis." quipped Lincoln, entering the room to get a glass of water.

"So, who won the war ?" asked Lori.

"The good guys ?" said Leni, thinking the question was for her.

"No love, she means the checkers game between Lincoln and Lisa." corrected Luna. Everybody knew Lincoln's skills in both games of the checked battlefield were enough to rival Lisa's. He was the one who had taught her the game when she was barely a year of age.

"Two games each, then we decided it was best to call it a night. Lisa was starting to doze off in the middle of her moves, and she almost swallowed one of her kings." said Lincoln, ending his sentence with a large yawn. "Speaking of which, we probably should hit the sack. If tomorrow's going to be anything like today, we might want to have our minds clear for it."

"I agree, brother. Let me just finish in here, and we can all go to bed. You heard that ?! Lights out in five minutes, everyone !" Lori announced to the few younger sisters around the bedroom. The request met no complaints, especially not Lily, who was rubbing her Blankie 2.0 against her cheek and letting the scent of butterscotch and cinammon guide her through the land of dreams and sweets.

But as her siblings were vacating the bathroom in good spirits and looking for nothing else than a good rest, Leni stopped by the arch of the door, sudden doubt plaguing her mind. Could she really end the conversation like that ? Don't get her wrong, today had been awesome and full of exciting twists, including the meeting of her bare-boned darling. The reason she hadn't said a word about the Great of the Great, was because she knew this wouldn't be the last time they'd met. His return had been prophesized by the most reliable source. Himself.

But that wasn't the only reason she had kept silent on the subject. She also didn't want to bother her sibs with her excessive rants, which would be nothing more than gushing exactly what she had been constantly dishing out through their trek in the icy woods. They didn't need to hear how long and perfect his legs were for the thousandth time, or bite back any more comment about her disastrous slip-ups.

And that was where Leni was hitting a snag. ' _They didn't said anything about me. About any of my screw-ups. No reminder, no side-note, no joke, no nothing ! Like, am I really like that all the time, that it's become... normal stuff ?_ '

Leni shook her head with a steeled frown. That was the last straw. She couldn't keep going with that way of thinking. She needed to have a word with Lori, right now. Because she knew that if she kept going down that track, she would only cause more trouble for everyone, either out of infatuation for her beau, or out of lack of confidence. She needed to get to the bottom of this, and scrub the doubt away like her skilful coup de brush could scrub all dandruff flakes away from her hair and existence.

She turned around, and gave a quick cough into her hand to request her big sister's attention. "Lori ? There's, um, s-something I want to talk to you about. It's kinda important."

Lori halted the movement of her toothbrush, and gained a small smile. "Of course, what do you want to talk about ?"

Leni took a deep breath, and opened her mouth to let her worries flow. But before she could enact it so, she caught the sight of herself in the mirror behind Lori. And instead of the confusion she could feel herself wearing, her reflection seemed to be harbouring a deeply disappointed frown, that cut through her bravery like a hot knife would against butter.

' _You want to do this now. Really ? Like, are you for real right now ?_ ' chided the other Leni, which only the original fashionista could hear. ' _Look at your sister's face. Look at it. Do you see those bags ? Those are no fanny packs, it's Mom's special suitcase type of deal. She's been dealing with so much today, having to let go of her personnal hero, going through cold woods while being the kind of big sister_ _ **you'll never be**_ _, and you won't let her rest because you can't get_ _ **over yourself ?**_ _How much of a selfish brat can you be ?_ '

Leni winced at her words. They stung so much, because they felt true. When she said it like that, it did sound mighty selfish. With ten siblings to keep an eye on, did she really have the time to listen to her ditzy roommate's personnal problems ?

Well... yes, actually. She had done it before. Plenty of times. Like all those times her little sister had felt lousy at school, or when instructing her during her not-so-stellar driving lessons. Sure they had their fights, at least once a week, but in the sanctity of the Loud House, Lori was always her go-to gal. And Lincoln was the guy !

Leni's reflection facepalmed. Hard. ' _Oh sure, you wanna drag Linky into this ? Then here's a little quote for you, from eight days ago. It's still there, weirdly enough._ ' The image in the mirror morphed into the image of her younger brother, with the familiar background of the dark corridor where their quest had begun. ' _Oh, but I've just noticed a teeny weeny snag in the application of this theory at the moment : WE AREN'T HOME ! In case it's still not apparent to you, we are in pure unknown territory, far from everyone, without any guaranteed exit !_ '

And although that speech hadn't been chiding her in particular back then, Leni could see how it was now, as her shame only grew more crushing. Everyone needed to pull their weight, that's what they'd agreed on. And all she had been doing today was pulling the wrong way. Perhaps... it was time to stop being the dead weight.

"Leni~, still waiting on that question, and looking at the mirror for a full minute isn't really giving me any of that."

Lori's callback worked like a charm. As she regained her bearings, the kind seamstress had made her mind. It was time she handled herself for once. "A-Actually, it's not that important. Just what make-up would Papy prefer. It can totes wait for tomorrow morning." she answered with the best fake smile she'd pull all day.

Lori gave her a rather skeptical look, with a hint of concern. "Are you sure that's what this is all about ?"

"You bet !" Leni gave her a thumbs up, then yawned. "I'm going to bed now. Don't want to be all wrinkly tomorrow morning, like Luna when she jams too late at night, or us when she jams too late at night."

"I heard that !" said Luna with a laugh, chucking a pillow at her big sis' head.

Driven by good mood and her own weariness, Lori took her sister's word for it. "Alright. I'll be there in a minute. In the meantime, try getting Lana on the bed if she's already sleeping."

Leni nodded, and finally exited the bathroom with a genuine smile on her face. She had been trusted with responsibilities again. She was making progress already ! She was handling her problem alone, like she should be. Her siblings could only be happier for that. She was making them happier, and created less trouble for everyone around her, including herself. It was a win-win on all sides. And no one outside or inside could contradict her on that.

That is, except that little region inside her chest, where she was almost sure her SOUL resided. But why the green little heart wasn't agreeing with her troubleproof plan was beyond her. This was her whole being in there, or so Goat Mom had told her. And then Lisa had told her again, for good measure. She was okay with this, so it also had to be okay with it ; she was making things better, making the people she loved happier, by being less in the way, less overbearing, less present.

 _ **Wasn't that the nice thing to do ?**_

* * *

 **Author's Note : Sooo... did I go too far with the Leni bashing ? I say that because I absolutely love this vanilla cinammon roll, and it physically pains me to make her think that way. And trust me, the next chapter's not going to be much better on that bit. I wonder if I shouldn't change the Arc title to ' _Leni is sad_ ' at this point. On another note, don't blame Sans too hard. He's got trust issues. And phlegm issues. And probably a bit of cholesterol.**

 **Also, did you catch it ? I made a cameo in this chapter. Nothing huge, just a little easter egg I'm sure you'll adore looking for. I totally didn't make a big deal about it, or myself.**

 *** _Noisily drinks soda from the Holy Grail, with legs propped up on Ark of the Covenant, and a little white dog sleeping on lap_ ***

 **Still, I hope you all appreciated this heavily belated chapter. College usually helps, but it really didn't this time around. I can only hope that the wait was once again, worth it. Wish me luck !Also, shout-out to _Petrus-c-Visagie_ who's been posting some art for this here fic. He's a great fellow, and you need to check his art now. DO IT FOR LENI !**

 **In the meantime, this is Superdimentio77, wishing you luck on your end of the year, or basically just good luck in general. See ya~ !**


	15. Snowdin, Part 5,5

**LOUDERTALE**

 **Arc 2 : Snowdin**

 **Part 5.5 : 'Twere not fun times for everybody...**

 **Author's Note : You thought it was the Papyrus fight...**

 _ **BUT IT WAS ME, INTERLUDE !**_

 **Yeah, no big update this time, sorry. Last month's been pretty busy, and it's only going to get busier from here.**

 **But don't worry, there will be at least one chapter this Summer. I owe you guys that, especially since this story just got recommended on TV Tropes ! Two Loud House stories from yours truly on the front page, baby !**

 **So yeah, this is the promised interlude from back to the end of the Ruins Arc. There shall be one for each Arc, normally at the end, to see how the different friends of the Loud House are doing without our heroes around. I made an exception here, because it contains a scene that I really wanted to post in the last chapter, but got scrapped due to the more satisfying ending it now has.**

 **Anywho, that's about it for now. I hope I can pick back my flow very soon, and finally get you the most Papyrus of all fights ! Fun ! _But not too much..._**

 **Enjoy~**

 **Loud House ? Undertale ? Not mine ! You can't prove nothin' ! George, they're onto us ! Get the Batmobile ! * _Crashes through a window, 60's style_ ***

* * *

 _ **Five days ago...**_

"I've got you now, you glorified expired clam !" exclaimed Ronnie-Anne, mashing buttons like no tomorrow on her controller. Only a couple more shots, and Gigagal would defeat the Ultra Whirlpool Mega Mech of Doom, and once again put an end to 's evil capillary plans. And then she would probably let him go once he'd say sorry, maybe pretending to mean it this time. At last, grey pixels flew everywhere, and chiptunes of victory filled the satisfied tomboy's room. "Aww yeah, I knew I could do it on Hard Mode ! Man, Lincoln is gonna be so jealous when I tell him..."

Her levity was short lived as her thoughts trailed off, and her joy slumped into a melancholic sigh. She let the credits roll as she fell face first on her lightning bolt-sheeted bed, and took a look around her room. Posters of her favourite skaters and movies, the small old TV Bobby had won at the fair for her that ran the Nyantendo that came with it, a couple of small dumbbells on a shelf, where her clothes were neatly arranged and folded. Not a single sock was out of place.

And right next to the dumbbells was a photo that wasn't helping her present state of mind at all. Which was a shame, because it usually never failed to make her bust a gut over it, followed by a tender smile. Her day at Dairy Land, mooching off a certain boy's season pass. Well, mooching off was a strong word. After all, it was her boyfriend who had insisted he shared it, and payed his own ticket. It had been a day filled with laughs, games, at least a dozen milkshakes, a hasty visit to the park's portable toilets, and finally, their ultimate stop. The Butter Melter. So much adrenaline, it came just this close to being declared illegal, except in Mississippi.

She had loved every second of it. The excited cheers she could see herself shouting, despite her hair being blown back like a wild raven curtain, certainly suggested that. He, on the other hand, had been a little mixed about it. And by mixed, she of course was referring to the mix of breakfast and lunch that was about to come out of his pinched lips, while his face had decided to go green. But he had been mighty courageous about it, only fainting once they'd get to the car, just because he wouldn't let her burden herself with him on her back.

That Lincoln sometimes, seriously. But hey, not too shabby for a second date, right ?

Ronnie-Anne contemplated the photo for a solid minute, then took her phone out for what had become her hourly check on her inbox. Well, hourly when she wasn't sleeping, or feeling really angsty about her current situation. Every time, she allowed a spark of hope in her mind, and every time it was snuffed out by the lack of an answer following all her messages.

"Urgh, where are you, Lincoln ?" moaned Ronnie-Anne, still without response. "What's so great about that stupid mountain that you can't find one dumb minute to call back ?" Her eyes widened, then squinted with a murderous glare. " _Or maybe, it's someone..._ " Ronnie-Anne's hand quickly reacquainted itself with her forehead. "Get a hold of yourself ! Lincoln isn't that kind of guy, you know that !" She sighed morosely. "But he's also not the kind of guy who leaves me hanging."

Ronnie-Anne traced her finger across her phone a couple of times, viewing all the messages she'd left. The pleas, then the threats, then the demands, and finally the casual greetings. They all led to a single message, a simple ' _G'night_ ' that wasn't hers, with the dorkiest heart emoji possible written three times.

Three. Now there was a number that had been on her mind since she'd woken up this morning.

Three days ago. That had been the last time Lincoln had contacted her. Since then, nothing. No text, no picture, no nothing. She had tried contacting him multiple times, then tried contacting her entire family, right down to Lily's toy phone. Her voicemail was adorable, but it wasn't helping Ronnie-Anne's case. And at this point, she knew he wasn't snobbing her in particular. Clyde hadn't received anything either since that same moment, and he was his best buddy since kindergarten. Those guys were more of a couple than she was with her own boyfriend, smooching aside of course.

And the peak of her worries was, it was happening everywhere. Rusty had told her that his little brother wasn't receiving any of Lucy's ' _midnight thoughts_ ' as of late, a little tradition where the Loud poet would get a sudden burst of inspiration, and eagerly – Lucy-eagerly anyway – share it with the red-haired boy.

Margo, whom she had met at the skate park by chance, had also gotten squat from Lynn. Their texting sessions were more sporadic and way quicker, so she hadn't been worried. But ever since Ronnie-Anne had asked her to try, she'd been on the same boat of uneasiness.

An adorable little girl had come to the Santiago household, a giraffe plush tucked under her arm, to ask if she had gotten any whereabouts on her best friend, Lisa. She apparently kept in touch for 'upbates' on Lisa's last 'fi-findings' on the mountain's 'en...envirrrrronment', like cute plants and weird buggies. But as adorable and hopeful as she had been, Ronnie-Anne was forced to put a frown on her face, when she had to tell her that she was just as clueless as she was.

And then there was that weird emo girl that hung around the Loud House sometimes ? A friend of Luan, if Ronnie-Anne remembered, always looking like someone had stepped on her foot. Only now, that someone was apparently rolling on her toes in permanent motion.

But was that enough ? Were those the saddest reminders of this lack of news and communication from her white-haired special boy ? Ha ! She wished ! For there was one person whose levels of woe and uncertainty far surpassed hers.

 _And according to the door wistfully shutting close, he was back for his lunch break._

"Well, might as well see what he's up to ; see if he's getting better, or if he needs someone to pop the waffles inside the toaster for him again." Ronnie-Anne convinced herself to jump off her bed. She put on her slippers, and opened the door. Already the place reeked of the despair of a severe case of heartache. A smell she had been putting with for a few days as well.

With a sigh, she poked her head by the kitchen door, and saw the sad sack form of her big brother laying prone with his face planted on the small wooden table. "Need any help ?"

" _Mmm..._ " moaned Bobby as a response.

"Do you need me to make your sandwich again ?"

" _Mmmmmmmm..._ "

"Do you want salami in it ? And I don't speak fluently Mopese, so use English please."

Despite melancholy and gloom weighing his shoulders with the weight of a mountain, Bobby managed to lift his head a few millimeters above the surface of the table, just long enough to say "Yes please, Nie-Nie", before crashing back down to continue his brooding.

Ronnie-Anne grunted in dismay. Normally she would have shaken him like a palm tree until he'd snapped out of such a pathetic mindset, but not only had she already tried, the fact was, she could at least understand where the pain came from, and then some. She knew that whatever uneasiness she felt towards Lincoln's unresponsiveness, Lori's was resonating a hundredfold in her big bro's heart.

Bobby loved Lori, and Lori loved Bobby. Ever since they had officialised it, the sentence was no longer a mere statement, it was a fact of life. Water got you wet, jorts were an eternal no for everything, and Lori and Bobby loved eachother. Oh sure, there had been fallouts here and there, disagreements plaguing the present moment, and a couple of those that had carried on a little too over the bar. But the sweet core inside had never seen a spot of rotting on it, no siree ! Only when all the lights went out, could you see an hour pass without those two lovebirds billing and cooing with a sweetness so strong, it alone would guarantee that Dr. Feinstein's business would be booming.

But such a tight relationship and overbearing attachement weren't without their downsides. And when one half of the biscuit fell off from the other's radar, it wasn't pretty to watch.

Ever since Lori had gone a whole 24 hours without answering to her hubby's texts, he had been down into the funk of all funks. Every morning, he'd stand in the shower letting the water run for a full fifteen minutes, moaning all the while. At breakfast, he'd try shaping his scrambled eggs or waffles into the likeness of the face of his beloved, and teared up halfway. And at night, he would send a flurry of apologetic texts to her, thinking he had done something wrong, and promising her he would get her the moon, plus every satellite hanging around it if she could just give him a sign, a flimsy sparkle of hope.

He'd just become so depressed, the Morticians Club ( _High School Edition_ ) had left a flyer under their door yesterday.

But that didn't mean Bobby couldn't think of his family. With as many jobs the young man had, he couldn't drag himself down to the point of getting sacked. So while on duty, the Santiago jack of all trades summoned every muscle in his body to keep a happy spirit going, and working just as hard as he had before, even harder in some cases. The **D** etermination he was putting into this masquerade was admirable, but also kinda unhealthy. And that meant that as soon as he passed the threshold of his house, the happy mask wore off, revealing the broken man underneath.

And quite frankly, Ronnie-Anne was this close to be done with it. As she applied the salami on the bread slices, her mind was having a conversation towards higher forces. ' _Look, if anyone's listening – anyone at all – I'd just like to say... I take it back. I take back everything I said about the lovey-dovey talk, the long smooches, the hours on the phone clogging the answerphone with sugary sweet mush. Give it all back, hit me with it like a runaway train, JUST... just get that goof to smile again. Please._ '

Ronnie-Anne sprayed the mayo with a glum stare. All she was asking at this point was a little sign...

A buzzing sound shattered the silence of the kitchen. As he patted his jeans, Bobby realised it was his phone calling for, well, a call. He hesitated at first, afraid of the load of disappointement that another dud would provide him. But he went for it anyway, taking out the device to check its screen. And the name that appeared on the screen was enough to get, through a gasp, the first genuine burst of hope from the teen in days.

" _It's Lori's parents !_ " he exclaimed mirthfully. Ronnie-Anne's mayo-covered knife slipped from the bread, as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Could this be it ? The light in the dark she had been waiting for those achin' three days ? Rejoicing inside, she decided to keep her cool for now, wipe that goofy eager grin off her mug, and see how things played out. Still, it was nice to see the excitement renewed on her bro's expression as he swiped right to take the call. "Mrs Loud ! It is so good to hear from you again ! How's everyone ? How's Lori ?! Did her phone die ? Did I send too many texts ? Were there not enough kisses at the end ?! I can max out to 300 kisses if she likes !"

Ronnie-Anne had to hold back a snicker, as she watched the effects of the Lori-Bobby couple come in full force in the most hilarious way she knew. Then again, paranoia tended to hit hard in her own relationship, but it often came from the side that was not hers. She might even have used it to her advantage once, for giggles.

It was the craziest (and only (and last)) monthiaversary she and Lincoln had ever lived through.

But thoughts of a house-sized coconut-flavoured cake crashing down came to a halt when she noticed a certain distress coming back into the conversation. "Wait, what ? I-I didn't catch you there, Mrs Loud. What ? What ? Is Mr Loud nearby, what's going on ? I can't understand you either ! Are you going into a tunnel ? In a cave ? Woah !" Bobby had to get the phone away from his ear to avoid his eardrums being blasted into smithereens by a strident cry. But it was no shout of anger, or merry laughter, or even the static of a connection being lost.

 _It was a mournful wail._ "Are you both... crying ?" Bobby asked delicately.

The ex-bully hitched her breath, and her knife stopped. It wasn't regular crying she had just heard. That had been the kind that followed a powerful sorrow, an intense heartbreak that only left you crying and crying without halt. _That_ didn't sound promising. At all. Was the sign she had been craving for so long about to turn into the worst of omens ?

"Why are you crying ? What happened ?" Bobby carried on, with great worry gripping at his very soul, not only for his lover, but for his bro and a pack of cool gals as well. He blinked in slight confusion as he heard the voice through the receiver change. "Um, hello ? Yes ? I-I'm the boyfriend of Lori Loud. Yes, their eldest. Um, if you don't mind me asking, who are you ? Inspector ? As in, from the police ? Wait, why is the police involved ?! What's happening ?!"

Ronnie-Anne's trembling hand had let go of the knife. This couldn't be happening. That little suggestion in her head, that dreadful thought that germinated inside one night. It was just supposed to be a pillow thought, a silly notion caused by a whole lot of stress. It... It wasn't supposed to be real. It wasn't supposed to be real life ! And it certainly couldn't fall on their heads just like that ! Where were the signs before that ?! Was there a sign before that ?! No ! Absolutely not ! No sign at all, except...

Except...

Back when the whacky family had departed. When Lincoln and her had kissed for the last time. When she had seen the van drive into the sunset for the last time. When...

 _When she had made **him** swear to come back._

Her entire being was stiff. For a moment, she didn't even dare breathing. The only driving force that allowed her to slowly turn back was the unnatural silence on Bobby's end. His stream of questions had ended abruptly, and all that was heard was the sound of him falling back onto his chair.

And once Ronnie-Anne finished turning around, she could clearly see that he had done so with a ghastly white face, his mouth stuck into a mid-gasp, and his eyes giving off a haunted look of coming desperation, which he resumed in seven words.

"What do you mean they're all gone ?"

The mayo jar dropped and crashed against the kitchen floor in a thousand shards. Likewise, the Santiago sole daughter's heart made its own descent, and... you get the idea.

* * *

Back to 1216 Frankelin Avenue, where a lasting moment of peace graced its neighbourhood. The usually rambunctious household had been eerily quiet these last few days, and it was a blessing some of their neighbours were not about to pass. Good ol' Mr. Grouse was even taking a read outside for a change, and all he had to complain about was the sun, the clouds, and the ladybugs finding his sandals to be a nifty climbing spot.

But mind you, the inhabitants Loud House had not all gone away for the holidays. The entire menagerie was still up and running fierce. At the present moment, Charles and Geo were racing eachother through every room opened for them, Cliff was getting all tangled up with Leni's yarn balls, Walt was singing a duet with Hops, and so on. The ruckus was still there, but at least it was one the outer walls could mute.

And trying to reign them all, which mostly meant going with the flow, was the ever-devoted Clyde McBride. Two bumbags around his waist, and a resolution of steel were what carried the brave boy through the cacophony. Plus, the animals quickly took a liking to him.

"Fang ! I've got your 4'o clock fireflies ! With all your protein sprinkles !" called Clyde, sorting a pile of the dead insects from one of his bags' pockets. The bat lost no time in swiping down from the ceiling and engulfing them into his maw. "Don't forget to chew ! Now where is- _Diablo !_ Is that a bunny tail I see from that mouth of yours, mister ?!"

Lana's canidoia quickly slurped in the white pompom, and tried to give off an innocent smile despite his bloated cheeks. But Papa Bear wasn't having it.

"We talked about this. You are on a strict diet, Lana's orders. And not only is your dinner not for another three hours, we also agreed that we didn't eat eachother ! So spit that bunny, or so help me, you'll be spending movie night in your terrarium !" Clyde put his foot down like his Nana would when one of his fathers started sprouting nonsense.

El Diablo looked down in defeat, and spat out a dripping Gary, who didn't hesitate to kick the predetaor in the schnoz, then hopped along with his nose turned up in disdain.

"Not the resolution I was going for, but close enough." nodded Clyde, glad he had stopped a very bad decision in its early stages. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine as he felt a sticky presence on his back, which he fished out in an instant. "Ah, Izzy, there you are ! It's _your_ snack time too ! Open wide for the Ladybug to win the race !" When the lizard's tongue rolled around the flailing insect (Izzy preferred his preys alive) and gulped it in one go, that was Clyde's cue to release him to resume his exploration with a spirit that would do his owner proud.

Reviewing his special notebook, Clyde came to a simple conclusion. "That's all before 5 o'clock. Which means I've got an hour to breathe, and catch up on some well-deserved _AARGH!_..." his mannerism became somewhat coy, "... right after I go lay down a few minutes on Lori's bed. All those sessions, and her divine scent is still present within those sheets." he sighed dreamingly. However, before he could pass the door to the sacred sanctum of the love of his life, he caught the dry glances the animals were giving him, not to mention the camera. "What ? It's to build up a resistance, I swear ! I'm getting healthier you guys, and in the best way possible."

With the dellusion strongly engraved in his mind, Clyde disappeared inside the room, while the animals shook their head in dismay. One Dr. Lopez simply wasn't enough.

A few minutes later, the boy reappeared with a blissful look on his face, which he maintained through his descent to the living room, and sitting down on the couch. "Never gets old. It almost takes off your mind that your best buddy's gone AWOL for a full three days, along with every member of his family."

Problem was, you couldn't stress that ' _ **almost**_ ' part enough. As soon as he reminisced himself that little detail, Clyde's bliss was quick to be shattered and trampled upon by a mound of a worry that had been gnawing at him ever since his texts had been left unanswered, and his calls delivered to a bland answerphone. _Sounds familiar ?_ He had no other way of contacting Lincoln either, as his talkie-walkie didn't exactly have an interstate frequency, and he knew that if his pal wasn't picking up his phone to talk to him, he certainly wouldn't be reading his mails.

He could write of course, but that would leave him with even more days to worry his head off. And besides, no phone didn't mean he couldn't call the house's landline or Clyde's cellphone, both of which he knew the number by heart. Consarnit, they had even made a song about the last one ! It was cheesy, made them look like absolute doofuses, and Clyde was starting to dearly miss singing it !

"I just don't get it. Why won't they call ? Having too much fun is not an excuse to be rude !" pouted Clyde. But knowing the boy, he wasn't angry at them as much as he was greatly worried for them. For her. And first and foremost, for _him_. Clincoln Mcloud may only have eight years to back its legacy, but it was one that resonated in all the good ways. They were like two peas in a pod, compadres till the end, tied by the sacred brotherhood of Ace Savvy.

Clyde knew people thought he was playing second fiddle to Lincoln's style. The Loud boy was the one who dared the impossible each day, who could work up a plan of action and found the flicker of a beacon of hope when lost in an ocean of chaos. Even when defeat seemed to be the only way out, he always knew how to minimize the damages, walk into it with his head high, and above all, he was ready to take as much heat as he could if it meant sparing someone he cared about from it. That was Clyde's version of the facts, and he was sticking to them.

Clyde, in comparaison, was much more reserved, and delicate. Having been nurtured and watched over like a Ming vase was certainly an explanation for this, compared to Lincoln, who had known the terrors of a wrathful Lori ever since he was four, and lived to tell every story, except for her tenth birthday party. He couldn't even look at that beautiful nymph without his brain busting a fuse, while Lincoln already was arm in arm with someone, and the toughest girl of the block no less !

But that was fine with Clyde. When the girl-he-couldn't-even-name wasn't involved, he was the careful one. The listener, the one that followed and advised, to get his overeager or overstressed friend safely back on the firm ground. And when times were desperate, he was just as quick to jump into the fray with the fierceness of an awakened tiger, and the dexterity of a Swords & Cyborgs National Champ.

So who cared what those people thought of him and his weird tendencies ? He was a growing boy, a friend to many, and an equal to Lincoln. That's all that mattered.

Which only rubbed the mark of his absence even deeper under his skin. And just before he could finally get the news about that famous entrance too ! ' **The Maw of Mount Ebott** ', one of the greatest not-so-urban legends that had been circulating for years amongst the true passionates of the paranormal. The central source of so many stories, of those strange disappearances, atop a mountain whose cliffs were bizarre in their own right. Finally, Lincoln had gotten the opportunity to see it for himself, but the day he was supposed to tell him everything, all lines fell quiet.

Barren silence. From the moment he was supposed to catch the sight of a cavern from which none who enters return. Of course, Lincoln knew that, thus he would never go in. But Clyde couldn't fight that churning feeling raging inside his stomach.

"Are you okay, buddy ?" the boy asked softly, as if the wind passing through the boards of the house would carry his message. And just like before, no answer.

But the Loud pets heard him and felt his distress, which added to their own. They quickly joined the sighing boy on the couch, snuggling around his prone form or perching themselves on the backrest, as they purred, hissed, or croaked to make him feel better. And it was working, at least a little bit, if Clyde's small smile was any indication.

"Thanks guys. You must be worried too, I bet." said Clyde as he patted Charles' head. The menagerie whimpered in agreement at his claims, especially Lana's friends. The little tomboy always called to wish them a good night, always. No super fun resort or mountain of doom could change that. Could it ?

"You know what ? It's only a matter of time before they call." Clyde reassured further. "I'm sure that tonight, they'll call to apologise, and say that they've gotten themselves into some crazy stuff with the resort staff, or a grizzli bear or something. I've heard they have ones that can smell any dog in a mile radius !" Charles yipped in high alert, and Clyde chuckled. "I mean the franks, Charles. But whatever is keeping them, we'll get news soon, I'm sure of it."

Fang shivered at that. And he was quite acquainted with bad omens.

Immediately, Clyde's phone rang. The little rock tune he had associated with the number told him that a certain ex-bully and now-girlfriend was calling him. The McBride boy grinned, as he could use a friendly voice, and certainly one who could empathise with his current anxiety. "Hi Ronnie-Anne, what's shakin' ?" But his confident smile quickly fell when he heard a sound almost alien when tying it to the bold-spirited girl. "Ronnie-Anne ? Are you crying ? You are ?!" The fact she was crying was already troubling, but the fact that she was admitting it so openly sent a field of red flags blazing ahead of him. And he had a feeling... that those red flags had to do with a mutual friend.

Taking a shuddering breath, as Dr. Lopez always advised, Clyde pleaded her to continue. "Tell me everything that happened."

The boy would listen. He would listen until the end. Never mind the blank stare set on the face of frozen despair he'd project, he was soaking every word like a sponge. And when too wet, a sponge had to release some of its humidity, for the good of its body.

A fact Howard and Harold would be reminded of when, after not answering to their 5 o'clock reassurance call, they would rush to the Loud House to find their baby boy curled in a ball in the middle of the living room, wrecked with sobs of grief, and all the pets around him howling in every way they could for their lost masters.

* * *

It had been a rockin' good day for one blue streak haired Sam Sharp. Ever since the first rays of sunlight poured through her blinds, signaling her that it was already 10 o'clock, things had been great.

Perfect morning hair when she had looked in the mirror. She'd beaten her brother Simon to the pancake platter, and drowned them in blueberry jam. Her artist block had finally receded too, allowing her to get just the melody she had been looking for, after days of going through random playlists, to the point of, _shudder_ , polka. Accordion ? Not with her, it didn't.

For lunch, her father had busted up some mouth-watering chili dogs, with his twist on the famous recipe. The secret ingredient was a mystery as old as the moldy spot in the Sharps' attic, but Sam didn't let it bother her in the slightest, as she guzzled down her third dog. That was when the day went from good to great.

And what better way to ride that wave than to go for a good ol' jam session in Victor's garage ? With his parents gone for the day, the teens got to amp it up to eleven and a half, though Mrs. Jenkins from next door and her cats may not like it as much as they did. Sam was shredding the guitar, while Vic smoothed it with passionate lyrics, and Maddie was letting those bangs flow and shake to the rhythm of each hit on her drumming set. Eventually, even Tabby had joined them for the ride on her customised synth. The kid was young, but she had the spirit of the rocking forefathers themselves. The atmosphere was electric, and the ground was shaking from their vibes. It was addictive. It was sweet madness. It was perfect.

Well, almost perfect, for their lead guitarist and main ambience spark was unaccounted for. A brunette who could give to a retirement home the energy of a full-bown concert, and whose unbridled passion had inspired more than one peep to join her on the open road of rock'n'roll. Including Sam. Seeing Luna on that stage for the eighth grade talent show, going all out just because she could, not even caring if she hit a wrong note here and there.

And by Mick's smelly tatters of jeans, had she looked stunning too. Every day after that, Sam had been utterly graced to discover one more thing that was great about her. Her button nose, the way her voice cracked when she laughed with delight, and the other when she did it out of nervousness. And when she used that accent – _Borneo Wild Man helped her !_ – she just wanted to melt on the spot, then regain form so she could pounce and cover those cute freckles with a hurricane of smooches !

But she didn't. Because that would be weird. No stage, no matter how wild, could make pouncing then smooching someone not weird.

But despite her absence, Sam had learned to cope. She wasn't on permanent surveillance, nor was she dedicating a friggin' shrine to Luna, only a gallery on her phone. Which wasn't weird at all ! She just liked her a little more than a friend. More than a little more really, but she could handle being away from her for a week or two. If she herself was having a good time, and she knew the loudest of the Louds was having a good time, then why be biting her nails to the bone about it ?

"Missing ?"

"Yeah dude, missing. The whole pack."

' _That's one extremely good reason_ ', a small part of Sam's mind tried to note through the deafening echo of the news Maddie had just brought, effectively shattering the relaxed ambiance of their short break. Even the CD player had stopped playing its groovy tunes.

"Woah woah, hold the pick right there !" rose Tabby with bewilderment, the news not connecting well with her at the moment. "Mad's, whaddja mean, ' _missing_ ' ? They can't be going missin' ! Those guys could rise the dead with their afternoon activities alone ! And I mean it, Haiku's told me some crazy stuff !"

"Tabs, chill." quipped Victor.

" _Chill ?!_ " the youngest member reached the high notes. " _I'm like an ice cube at bleedin' Woodstock !_ "

" **Tabby. Chill.** " Victor echoed more firmly, waiting patiently for Tabby to hinder her hyperventilating, before turning back to an uneasy Maddie. "Okay, play this by us again. What happened ?"

"Okay, so you know Luna and her fam' are on that vacation her little bro won ? Tabby, you remember him, right ? The one you went to the dance with ? The young but old Hetfield ?" Tabby nodded shakily. "They headed all the way down to northern Louisianna, and got to stay at the fanciest hotel there. But one day, they all went to scale the star attraction of the place : Mount Ebott."

"Ebott ?" Sam faintly repeated, a little bit of history gleaned on the net coming back to her. "As in... the mountain with all the rumours of kids disappearing ?"

The room only got colder when Maddie approved the bit with a slow, shaky nod. "That was three days ago. Three days since Lunstar posted anything on her wall. And this morning, Beth sent me a link." She showed her phone to everybody, and her voice began to crack. "The main page of the Louisianna Police website."

' _ **HAVE YOU SEEN THOSE KIDS ?**_ **Eleven kids are reported missing around Mount Ebott since Monday. Ages range from 18 months to 17 years old. If you've got any informations on their whereabouts, contact the...'**

But they didn't scroll through the screen to see that number, they didn't care. All the young spirits of rock could see was a family picture, of the whole Loud pack sitting on the stairs down their front porch. And in the top right corner, their missing friend was there, flashing her classic chill smile. So chill, it almost froze the tears that were starting to descend down their cheeks.

"No..." mouthed Tabby with a trembling lip, and her tone as cracked as an eggshell could become under the thought of her lost idol drilling inside her head and heart. When it reached the core, sparks flew, and flew fast. "NO ! She can't be lost, not her ! _Damn it !_ I bet those guys aren't even searching right ! Forget the session and those crummy coppers, I'll go _find her myself- !_ "

"Sweetie ?" said Maddie, stopping Tabby in her insane derailling. She gave the older girl a wild stare, looking ready to claw at something, anything out of rage. But the look she could see behind all those bangs immediately tamed her back to reality. "You're riding straight into the danger zone. Stay chill, okay ?"

The compassionate tone underlined by the sadness cloaking it was all it took for the aggressive puma to turn back into the scared little girl underneath. "I... I just want them to be okay !" sobbed Tabby, as she crashed into Maddie and buried her head into her midsection. The teen could only wave through her spiky hair while she held back sorrowful tears of her own.

Victor rubbed his misty eyelids tiredly. Too thing that a single phone screen could dampen a whole afternoon of joy and passion so fast, tear at its seams before he could say _Get Back_. He knew the Highway to Hell was an easy road to swerve onto, but it apparently could seize the moment out of nowhere too. Too much sunshine can wilt the green luxious plains, into a portrait of dying nature. ' _Yeesh. I sound like the Emo table at the ref_ ' he mumbled through his thoughts, as he tried to not let Tabby's sad lyrics get to him any more than it already had.

But when he looked behind him, the backstage looked even worst. Sam had crashed back on her beanbag, and had not moved since then. She was a sorry sight for sure, not openly sobbing, but instead letting the tears trail along her cheeks without so much as a hiccup. Her hands kept shaking, her breathing was almost inaudible, and the shellshocked look she now sported was thousands of yards away in the distance, desperately looking high and low for the sound of that sweet British accent to grace her ears again.

"Sam ? You... okay there ?" asked Victor with great concern, which didn't wane through the lost stare she turned to him.

Because if Sam looked broken on the outside, she was downright shattered inside. 'Since monday', had said the missing person appeal. That meant that three days ago, her friend had gone missing, disappeared from the surface of the earth as far as anyone was aware. Gone. _Poof_. Out of this world. And she had spent those three days blissfully unaware, singing and laughing like nothing was ever wrong. She hadn't felt anything, any smidge of worry at all. None of that extrasensorial feeling between... people who were more than friends. She didn't care if this was movie stuff, there should have been something, an uncomfortable nudge at least !

And that called for the question : Was it all a lie ? Was that feeling that had shaken her heart every time their eyes met all a big sham ? Was staying awake at ludicrously late hours of the night trying to figure just the right lyrics to catch her fancy just meant she was being extra chummy, and nothing else ? Pals to the end, best _friends_ in the whole wide world, end of the sentence ! That seemed to be what, deep inside, Sam Sharp desired to be with the brightest star she had ever seen.

Sam wasn't sure of how she felt about her, she had never been sure. And now, chances were, she would never be.

Sam had nothing to envy from the loudest of Louds, for she could match her passion in every way, blowing the roof off any room, even without the right audience to boot. But when it came to saying it, the party suddenly fell as quiet as the grave. It was all her fault then. She hadn't taken the first step, and now there was no road to trail onto, no encore. The curtain had fallen, just like her tears would keep falling, and the tip of her tongue was doomed to keep burning forever, burning with all the compressed molten lava of an agonizingly tedious, yet oh so simple little truth.

 _Three words only._

* * *

Royal Woods hadn't welcomed the Louds by some magic chance. No power of the SOUL had drawn them here, the spirit of the town was simply as boisterous as they were. Informations spreaded fast in the streets, new facts resonating under every roof like a massive hallway. Not all facts of course, but when their loudest element was reported to have gone missing, a wildfire had nothing on that kind of quick spreading.

Royal Woods had seen many ups and downs through the big family's antics. On its normal days, it prefered to remember the many times they had lead their establishments and chocolate shops a merry and hectic dance. The Loud bunch was a wild card, they could become a twister of chaos at a moment's notice, and too few were the ones that had learned to appreciate the storm at its most destructive.

But on this grave hour, the city instead remembered the changes they had not forced, but given to town, the opportunities they had risen, and the friendships they had tied. For at this moment, the town was grieving these very people. Friends, teachers, crushes, bitter old coots... and a single grandpa as well, sitting by the window of his room as the sunset shone in. An orange glow bathed the picture of a fond family trip he had taken with his wonderful grandkids. He took a long mournful look at it, and with it, coming to terms that this could have been the last time he'd get to ever experience those wonderful times.

Loved ones disappearing at the drop of a hat. He had lived it before. His battalion. His commander-in-chief, who had taught him all the ropes. His best pals from High School. _Eglantine._

He hadn't been ready the first time, as a soldier. He hadn't been ready any time after that, as a lonely husband. And he wasn't any more ready now, as a loving grandpa.

That night, Royal Woods grieved. But deep down, Royal Woods hoped. They hoped that wherever the chaotic siblinghood who had made the city that much more colourful were presently, they were safe. They would one day safely return, and above all, they would let nothing stand between them and their way back home.

That night... Royal Woods was **D** etermined to see the Louds again.

And also that they have all the pies they could eat to survive in the wild. But that was merely wishful thinking from an adorable little girl, and her giraffe companion.

…

 _Back to the present, Snowdin Inn..._

The innkeeper hadn't lied. The snowstorm outside was coming down hard. Despite the expert craftmanship, the windows still faintly rattled with the gallons of snowflakes being thrown against them like a rain of pebbles. Which was quite a feat for a middle of July.

But at this late hour, not even Lisa and her thirst for knowledge were awake to question the true source of the frozen precipitations.

Instead, the little genius kept mumbling scattered lines of her future speech to the United Nations about ' _Magic, and its science_ ' in-between sucks of her little thumb, and trying her hardest to ignore the hundred of bad puns the other members kept trying to play on her, as well as the one who kept selling fried snow cones and grilled popsicles in the background. The last two parts were mostly due to the comedienne she was sharing her mattress with, who kept sleep-joking eight puns-a-minute with the daffiest of smiles.

Lynn and Lucy shared another of course, snoring in enigmatic harmony as one imagined herself as a **street fighter** (dual red belts and all) beating the living tar out of a buffer and even grosser Jerry with her Tough Glove – rebranded ( _Rudy_ ) – and just about to tussle with the mysterious **Captain** of the Fallen Angelz ; while the other appreciated a nice quiet moment in the cemetery, grey clouds complimenting the rows of dead trees and cawing crows quite nicely, while a dismal vampire and a gloomy spirit held her hand, and listened for all she had to say.

On the third floor-sleeper set, Luna found no mountain or barrier preventing her from reaching the stars, her music blasting around the whole world as her audience, and singing a duet with her idol while all her friends manned up the many instruments. The girl powering the complementary guitar was particularly nice.

What about the sole brother resting comfortably in her arms ? _Patience, little reader. Patience._

Lana had made the end of the bed her territory once more, tucked in the same position as would be the furry companions that were rolling around in fields of luxurious grass, mucky pits, and beef jerky slides with her. The unusually large frame of the bed came as a blessing for the other sisters' feet to be salvaged from the oodles of drool pouring out of the little tomboy's maw.

And as for those few snoozing under the bedsheets, the decision over who sleeps where had been easy, but stringent, all in accord with the Protocole : Leni and Lola were to be separated by someone, namely the cyan-hearted duo, who were deemed able to break any fight with a stare that could either burn through your SOUL, or melt it out of adorable guilt.

Here, dreams were as snug and soft as the girls felt. Lily rode on through the land of happy singing monsters with Mr. Snuggles (her teddy) and Captain Momster at the helm of their peppermint spaceship ; Lori enjoyed a spot of relaxing tea with Goat Mom, not unlike those they had enjoyed before, except with Sans as a perfectly-obedient stewart ; and Lola kept crusin' with the coolest and fashionest snowchild in town. With some iceblock abs that would sooner make her melt faster than the chocolate seats of their hot pink motorbike.

But the left edge of the bed had no such happy fantasy or content smile to be found. Instead, poor Leni was left tossing and whimpering. Murmurs of apologies kept escaping her lips, some for her recent blunders, others for not-so-recent ones, but most of them for crimes she had never commited or would think of commiting in her lifetime, yet was judged guilty all the same, and sentenced to where all bad things, threads, and dangerous pin cushions go : the **garbage can.**

One silver lining though, the can was proving to be quite friendly.

Leni's self-inflicting nightmare only seemed to get worst with time, to the point of tears drowning her pillow. Until, almost unconciously, Lily's pudgy hand caught one of Leni's fingers, and guided all five of them to meet Lori's. In an instant, the thrashing had stopped, but the weeping girl kept begging for forgiveness she didn't need.

A small green light began to beat under the covers, a beacon of distress for a SOUL's plight for an easy mind, if only for tonight. It called out in the darkness... _and somebody came._ Two little lights next to it answered her call, and one by one, eight others joined in a soothing heartbeat symphony. Slowly but surely, the green apparition synched itself with the rhythm, and Leni joined the zenlike flow with a smile of relief, as her dream self finally grasped the orange mitten pulling her out of the rubbish, and let dazzling bone-pearly whites sweeping the darkness away, to find the monster of her dreams.

Their job done, the lights dwindled away for the shade of the night to return, and let the peaceful, but still Loud, silence take its rightful place. The room stood still as a picture of harmonious siblinghood, that could definitively give a caze of the fuzzies to any creature with a heart or SOUL, even if they claimed them to not exist.

…

The bathroom door creaked open. A head peaked from the small opening.

Had one of the souls currently resting had been awake, his white pupils would have betrayed his presence in the dead of the night. _And his bobbing petals would have betrayed his identity._

He took a moment to enjoy the scenery, for it truly reflected what most of his daily entertainment had been today.

Quiet, dull, and so sappy it had nearly made him hurl his lunch twice. And when you were gutless, that spoke volumes.

And the afternoon had begun so well. That first take on their battle with that old hag. Oh the tears, the hopelessness, everything they stood for crumbling apart in a few minutes, and not getting up. Served those little cretins right.

Then the reboot came out, and friendship pellets were rapidly thrown at the screen.

But then, they got to have a little reunion afterwards. Just them and their best pal in the whole narrow world. They had played so many fun games ! And educative too ! He had taught them all the ropes, gave a little more sense to the world he tolerated them into. In return, all he could ask for was a good deal of frozen terror, wrapped up in a neat little package of doubt and anxiety that would plague them forever, all on the house.

And he had gotten that result. But the delivery was done with an abundance of rebellious hope our little stalker **wasn't** very cool with. 0/11 stars, really wanted to wipe that smile off their faces. And the rest of the faces too.

A pacifist oath. A _pacifist_ oath. He had laughed so hard when he had seen them act out their little script straight out of schoolgrounds. But then, his laughing fit was cut short, when he got to remember the old days. The very old days. When he still thought ethics and morals were good for something. When he still thought he could care.

That had been the moment when it became clear : this was going to be a long, dreary afternoon.

Down that line, he had been given the _**privilege**_ of watching those humans play in the snow, hug the trees, and give friendship bracelets to every monster they had met. Petting useless guards, helping old ladies, guiding lost youths back on track towards a healthier lifestyle ? Urgh, were they on a quest to regain Surface Sweet Surface, or were they aiming at sickening him as much as monsterly possible ?

And that was it ! The whole day, encounter after encounter, without a single Load ! What part of ' _You have the power to make yourself an entire wardrobe for all of you out of their dust, and still come out with your hands smelling lavender_ ' did he not make clear enough.

On another hand, he could admit finding the whole thing entertaining enough to get a chuckle out of him then and again. It was straight out of those cartoons that **Pathetic Geek** had laying around her poor excuse of a lab, but not the cringely absurd ones. The simple, **violent** , and fun ones. But admitting it only made him madder !

And so was seeing them rubbing elbows with those two brothers. From Day 1 in the Ruins, he had a feeling that they'd get along with Papyrus just fine. They were every bit as loony as that man-child in a cape. _Trashbag_ on the other hand, that had been a harder thing for him to believe. But anything to save up the appearances, eh ?

 _That dirty windbag wasn't as different from him as he claimed to be. And neither were those little 'Pacifists'._

That little pact won't last, he knew it. Already, they were making a fine perjury on that team effort clause, by progressively getting rid of their weak link. Only the strong prevail. The weak lose it all, their heads last. That was how the world worked. His World.

He could see it now. Papyrus would most likely stand in their way one last time. And he couldn't exactly call him weak. Weak-minded, sure, there wasn't enough shiny crystals in the ceiling to count how many times that oaf had made his demise easy as breaking a chicken bone. But the guy had moves and techniques that made the little flower very thankful for that mindset of his. _Especially his new finishing move..._

Hmmm, but perhaps he'd take down one of the humans by accident ? Ooh ooh, maybe that Airhead with the massive crush on him ! That would be rich ! To see his good spirits crumble along with her green SOUL simply swore to be a shoe-in for the scrapbook~!

But eh, that was only wishful thinking. They would most likely win that idiot over, and easily so. But that meant jumping out of Snowdin, and straight into Waterfall. The **Captain** would be waiting for them. And boy, you did not win her affection or her mercy by being little goody two-shoes. Especially when she had the possibility to save monsterkind by ramming a spear through your head.

And if by some miracle, and no normal miracle, they could get past her staggering strength and impenetrable will to serve those she vowed to protect, well...

 _ **The Royal Guard always answered to the KING.**_

Tomorrow was another day, they said. But he simply couldn't wait to find out just how many times that would still apply in their case.

At least once, unfortunately. So yes, may they sleep serenely for now. May they let the dreams lull and cradle their precious little selves them throughout the night. Because sooner or later, in the real world, they would have to accept that their little fantasy had an ending. An ending only he knew was going to unfold. An ending they couldn't run from, no matter how many times they tried to go around it.

 _The ending he was promised, at the peak of his eternal glory. **Only a little while longer...**_

…

…

But... did he really have to wait ?

Taking another peek by the door, he realised how quiet they all were when they slept. Back when they were staying Mother Goat's little cottage, he hadn't risked going in, as he knew her freaky maternal powers would have triggered her awake in a second. And without his trusty SAVE file, he wasn't really looking forward to being burnt to a 100% natural crisp again. He knew firsthand how terrifying she could be when she went into Mama Bear mode.

What a sight to take in. How still they looked, how peaceful. How... _vulnerable._

For his plan to work out, he needed them to meet that **old fool** in some form, dead or alive, so he could unveil the last set of toys he hadn't gotten his vines on, and the most mouth-watering at that. No matter how sweet he had appeared, or how many threats he had thrown at that sniveling excuse for a king, those precious little hearts had never appeared before his eyes.

So, had there been one final human to wander through the Underground, he just would had to follow that sucker, and wait for it to be reunited with the six others. But there was the thing, wasn't it ? He only needed **seven.** Seven to become an entity capable of feats beyond even his wildest fantasies, and not even the sky would be a limit to his unfathomable power.

And lookie here. Not one, not two, not even seven. But **ELEVEN** little cores, with their owners fast asleep and completely oblivious to his presence. How had he missed such a golden opportunity when opening the door, this all-you-can-devour buffet waiting for him to consume it all ?! Frankly, he didn't know whether to explose in a burst of cackles, or to bang his head against the wall for a few minutes, but decided against both options since it would most likely rise the humans from their slumber.

And wasn't he on a roll right now, he could see all their little necks exposed. Yes, a quick slice to the throat. Fast, stealthy, and painless. Oh, how he wished he could toy with them for a little bit, fill the room with their screams of terror and broken sobs, but this was no time to be picky. Now was the time for the best midnight snack the world had ever known, and would ever know.

As his vines crept along the carpeting, his first victim was already set for her operation. An easy choice, really. Let's see that little clown tell her jokes with a huge gash in her trachea. Who'd miss those ?

 **She always was a _pain in the neck_ anyway.**

But seconds before the deadly thorns reached her prone form, they stopped.

That sensation. That crippling dread. The oppressive feeling of always being watched.

 _And that obnoxious chill down his stem._

He looked at the window. And it looked back.

A cyan circle, shining dim through the snowstorm. It was watching, judging his very thoughts. And it dared him to finish his little magic trick.

The vine moved. _A single bone bloomed out of the floor, and singed it away._

The peeper's mind was now set ablaze with fury. **Him.** **Always him.** Of all the times he could get on his case, it was the moment everyone was sleeping. And so should **he** ! There was no scientific explanation for **him** waking up in the morning ! **He** was the very definition of a slob, everybody knew that !

But they didn't know **him**. Not as well as he did.

Why was **he** here ?! Why would **he** be protecting...

… That meddling old grandma !

So that was it, huh ? The so-called 'non-carer' acts out **his** little crush ? To think **this guy** was his biggest threat, it was driving him up the wall ! Why, he should go for the offensive ! Take those pathetic sacks of meat as hostages, _and tear them apart one by one-_

The eye flashed once. One warning. No first warning.

There never was a second one.

… Fine. He'd retreat. For now. The night was theirs to enjoy.

Those kids had their insane luck up and still running smoothly. But the Underground was such a small world once you saw it all. Soon, there would be no place for them to run. Only a golden wall would stand on their path. And at that moment ?

 _ **He'd relish watching their little legs be BURNT TO ASHES.**_

The bathroom door closed all on its own.

The snowflakes kept tapping against the window, alone.

And Luna's sleeping grimace finally morphed back to a relaxing smile. For someone in her dreamscape had finally decided to stop those red lasers from blaring against her eyes. _The stinging felt so real though..._

* * *

 **Author's Note : Boom ! Hope that will content you through the first part of the summer. Again, sorry for it being so short this time around. Next time, exploration and smooth skeletons a-plenty, I swear it !**

 **Also, many more thanks to _Petrus-c-Visagie_ for my new avatar picture, and this fic's as well ! And many thanks to y'all for putting this fic all the way on TvTropes ! I've got two names there now ! Le fame ! It's real !**

 **One day, Minijen. One day...**

 **In the meantime, this is Superdimentio77, encouraging you to have a great time this Summer ! And for those new Loud House episodes to (FINALLY) come out soon. See ya~ !**


	16. Loudertale Update

**LOUDERTALE, WHERE ART THOU MY LOUDERTALE ?**

 **I think that's an adequate title for the subject at hand. Especially after so much delay !**

 **Hey guys, it's me. Your favourite jester author is here to talk to you, and about time ! Six months without an update from my favourite fanfic ? I'd be pretty worried too !**

 **Contrary to some beliefs, I have, indeed, been writing this chapter during this whole time. But three incidents have gone against it, although I hardly can call the first one an incident, and the last one was just tonight. You'll have to forgive the hasty style, but I'm writing this in one go.**

 **First off, for the entirety of the summer, I have been plagued by the worst bug of all that impedes an author's good work : LAZINESS. I just could not get to it entirely, only by sprinkling it there and then ! And with so many good episodes over the summer too ! I have no excuses for that, as my schedule couldn't have been clearer, save for a few family spots.**

 **But with September approaching, I had full confidence that school would give me the kick back into shape I so desperately needed. My 1-page-per-day schedule would take hold again, and I would submit this chapter in a blaze of victory !**

...

 **I wasn't wrong about the blazing part. Because at the start of September, my house burned.**

 **This isn't a joke. In no shape or form, is this a joke. I'm alright, sure. And the damages were only partial, nothing that can't be fixed or paid for by the insurance. But when you see your childhood home go up in flames for reasons still mysterious to this day, it messes you up a good deal.**

 **I didn't write about it, because I didn't want to be pitied after the horrendous summer I've put you guys through. Also, I thought the effects wouldn't be too long for me. I was right, but I was wrong. I got back to my keyboard little by little, trying to get my footing again. But I didn't give up, not when there's so much to be told still.**

 **And tonight, was the latest development against this cursed chapter, in the form of a computer virus. My poor PC had to be refreshed, which meant I could still keep my files. And when I reopened it, all the files were fine... to the exception of just ONE. And you'll never guess which file was corrupted beyond saving.**

 **Fortunately, I have a back-up file. Unfortunately, it's out of date, and a huge chunk of the ongoing chapter has thus been lost forever. It'll take time to rewrite all those 40 PAGES gone.**

 **As such, it's only fair to ask : Is this the end ? Will there be no conclusion to the Louds' bizarre quest ? No Papyrus fight or date ? No Undyne, Alphys, MTT, or TEMMIE ?! Is it finally time to close this book, forever ?**

 **...**

 **...**

 **No.**

 **This can't be the end. In fact, this latest incident was a kick in the sheen I desperately needed. From now on, my schedule is going back into full-force, so I can set my hopes for this new chapter as soon as February-March 2019 ! I owe you guys that much ! Plus, the DELTARUNE craze helps a little...**

 **But I shall not leave your thirst unquenched ! Have a peek to the Beta version of the next chapter's beginning ! The words in brackets are going to be changed, don't pay too much attention to those. Also, it's unformated. In any case, I leave you with those parting words you know me for...**

 **This is Superdimentio77, wishing you the merriest Holidays, full of unparalleled DETERMINATION for the new year ! Toodles~**

* * *

Down in the streets of (Casinopolis) at night, danger waited at every corner for the tender and unwise meat to cross its turf. Every shadow seemed out to get you, every wall was listening, and there was no such thing as a (refund) if you were down on your luck. And you could go down that spiral pretty quickly, especially if you met one of the many supervillains the city threw up in its streets.

But if (L)ady (L)uck was on your side, and it often was, you could hope to see one of (Casinopolis)' (renowned) heroes to swoop in to your rescue. Maybe Ace Savvy, the hero that never folded his hand ; One-eyed Jack, twice the luck with a single peeper ; or the ladies of the fearsome Full House, who brought the numbers, and the pain. Knowing that those twelve heroes – or their many allies that made great trading cards – watched over the city and brought justice wherever they went, the good citizens knew they could go on with their lives and rest soundly.

But the scoreboard had shifted these last few months, ever since monsters from Dimension U had found a portal that delivered them right at the edge of the city. Oh they weren't dangerous, not as a species. It had taken a few weeks to smooth things between the freaked out townsfolk and the equally terrified monsters, but the strange creatures proved to be a model of citizenship. They paid the rent, helped the city grow, and kept bringing many wonderfully (bizarre) (stuff) from their homeland. Why, a Spider Bakery had even opened last week, and business was booming, despite the very (dubious) nature of the pastries.

But a good batch often brought its share of bad apples, as they said. And because of a new villain amongst the peaceful monsters, the night was no longer sole soil for the worst of weeds to flourish. Because this villain preferred to strike at noon !

"Mwahahaha ! (Casinopolis), wake up and smell the roses of your DOOM !" thundered the awful creature under its dome of glass, and atop his gargantuan flower pot of destruction. Its shell of titanium cast away the remains of the streets the grossly large vines kept drilling into and turning into rubble. And on its sides, laser turrets to scratch the buildings it couldn't get, terrorize the fleeing citizens, and melt poor little kids' ice creams and nice creams.

A machine of such raw evil madness... could only be cooked up by a tiny little flower, who more than made up for his size with the length of his razorsharp toothy grin. Yes, this was the work of none other, than the horrible !

"Howdy ! Having a good day, people ? TOO BAD !" smugly shouted Dr. Carnation through his intercom, as one of his vines tore through one of the buildings. "This flower is not here to spruce up your day, but to ! I've heard you've all been feeling safe and jolly lately, everything going smoothly between humans and monsters. Bah ! That's not how it works ! You're supposed to be at eachother's throats, tearing your insides out, just like I'm tearing this water tower apart !" The machinery obeyed the words of its vegetal master, and opened one of the symbols of Monster-Human peace like a simple jar of pickles, before releasing its contents on the bad doctor, whose crazy smile immediately turned zen. "Okay, props for making that thing, you guys. Crystalline as if it was coming from the sources themselves, niiiice."

The mad monster's shower was interrupted by the town's police sirens, as an entire squadron of police cruisers arrived at the scene of the rampage. Immediately, the human forces started to fire at will, while their new beefy but fluffy recruit started chucking giant spears at the vines, effectively tearing them into ribbons. The townsfolk began cheering for the everyday heroes, but their hope came a little too early (to be fresh). For in a few seconds, all the vines had regrown as if they had never been cut down at all.

"No dice this time, boys and good boy. Not only is this alloy completely magic-proof, but I've packed up enough fertiliser to regrow my evil roots enough times to turn this entire city into my new wicked garden !" Dr. Carnation gleefully cackled, as he (blew) away the entire force in one thorny swipe. "And guess what ? That's exactly the plan ! Dismantling this city brick by brick, building by building, until nature rules supreme again, and me at the top of the oak tree. And I think I'll start with this useless cart !"

"NO ! My cabbages- I mean, my nice cream cart !" cried the blue long-eared youngster, his heart in great anguish at the sight of a smaller vine roughly picking up what could've been his (career).

"Time to paint this town strawberry red, and about 20 other flavours !" rejoiced the villain, aiming for the most expensive building in his radius.

But just before he could chuck it, a chiseling sound came to echo around the streets, its whistling-like noise loud enough to be quickly caught by Dr. Carnation. But not quickly enough, as the small projectile cut through the vine with astonishing ease. The cart and its treats were released for the monster merchant to grab, hug and run away, much to Dr. Carnation's newfound frustration.

"WHO DARES INTERRUPTING MY FUN ?!" he thundered madly, but listened carefully. Still a swishing sound. The cursed projectile's run had not ended, but it had certainly changed course, back to where it came from. All he had to do was to follow it to find its nature, its source, and just how he would grind the both of them into his morning compost.

A gloved hand caught it. Tight and blue like the sky. At the tip of its fingers, one proud playing card, displaying a single ace of spades, and the white initial of its (fantastic) owner.

"The cards have been cutted, doctor, and they're not looking good for you." spoke (Casinopolis)' greatest hero, his short white hair flowing in the wind, next to his mustachioed companion and most trustworthy friend.

Dr. Carnation's exasperation grew significantly just at the sight of the duo. "Oh, it's you two. Goody-goody Ace Savvy and his second fiddle, One-Eyed Jack. Why am I surprised ? It's never a party until you two come to crash it with your little card tricks !"

"Carnation, playtime's over ! The city will have a peaceful sunday afternoon to go to the park, or catch up on some cartoons !" swore the mighty Ace Savvy, pointing the finger of justice at the petaled fiend.

"Yeah ! Surrender now, and they might just get you a pot large enough to stretch your roots in prison !" followed One-Eyed Jack, his one good peeper looking fiercely ahead... and a good deal hungry too. "Seriously, surrender now. There is a (hoagie) back at the Poker Cave with my name on it."

However, Dr. Carnation was far from impressed by the two kids in tights, as he threw his head back and (cackled on). "BWAHAHAHA ! Really ?! I managed to give you the slip back at the harbour, and it was only little ol' me ! Do you seriously think that now that I have all THIS", he made a show of flexing one of his vines, making a bump the size of a small hill, "you two shrimps have a chance against me ?!"

"The cards don't lie, greenie." smirked Ace, as he twirled the razorsharp card still dripping with the green (sap) of the vine it had just severed.

The flower swiftly threw a dark glare, but snorted dismissively at the taunt. "Pfft, a lucky shot. That's all you are, Ace. Lucky. But lucky little buggers like you always reach the end of it someday, and today's your day ! I believe it is about time someone gets your feet back on the ground, while he shoves your head down six feet under !" said Dr. Carnation, as he regained altitude still encased under his dome. The vines grew thicker and thornier, while the bulk of the machinery plunged the two heroes in complete darkness. The fiend grew a vicious smile. "Let's see your luck get you two out of this little botanic lesson !"

"Then let me call the whole class to attendance !" boldly claimed the cape crusader, whipping up and throwing down a certain set of cards.

As soon as they grazed the ground in perfect order, the call was answered. The sound of an engine soon roared in the distance, and the screech of tyres could be heard swallowing up the distance in mere seconds. Before anyone had the chance to draw breath, a white and electric blue van sprung up high in the air, blocking the sun for a second, before roughly landing next to the heroic duo, looking (no) worse for wear.

The spirits of the city soared when they took sight of the sparkling machine, and its tune-up of the four suits on every side of the vehicle. For those were the telltale sign of the Full House (Mobile).

The van's front window rolled down, revealing its daredevil driver. With her driving suit matching the colours of her four-wheeled charger, and a look that promised a road rage like none other, the High Card only had to give Budzilla one glance to get down to business.

"Looks like you've got one bad player at the table, Ace and Jack." smirked High Card, keeping her hand on the wheel.

"Do you think you could deal us a good hand ?" replied Ace with a friendly grin of his own.

High Card nodded. "Coming right up." She gave a sharp whistle, and the (van) back door swung open, to reveal the rest of the gang hot on their feet, with fierce smiles and scowls for their future butt-kicking target. The nine heroines struck a perfect superhero landing behind the Ace and his companion.

A shudder of fear crossed Dr. Carnation's eyes for a second, but he quickly casted it aside, and opted for a threatening grin instead. "Got your little army ready, I see. No matter ! I'll crush you all the same ! With most (delicious) glee !" cackled the flower, as he began his assault.

"Keep the green thumbs out there, lady !" one-lined Ace, before everyone jumped out of the giant vine's crashing path. Or in the case of the High Card, shifted in reverse. The other vines swayed around awaiting their turn, while the four laser turrets aimed for anything that moved and had a mask on.

The fight of the Titans was on.

"Hey, (Flower Freak) !" called the little lady of great pinkness. Her luminous tiara only matched her showstopping presence and assurance. Despite her very young age, she was not shy of her title of the Queen of Diamonds. She grabbed her diamond-incrusted tiara, and aimed to make the monster regret to have ever thought of attacking at noon. "Here's a sunbath, on the house !"

The powerful ray of light hit the fiend square in the eye, effectively blinding him for an instant. "Argh ! Betrayed by the sun ! You'll get yours, you traitorous gas ball !" he said, shaking a leaf to the sky.

The distraction was all the perkiest member of the bunch needed to act. The jumble of shapes on her yellow, pink, and black costume, and her twintails not unlike the hat of a jester, betrayed the zaniness of her ideas, and how she could topple the situation like a house of cards. If a bad guy was being tossed around as much as he was getting punned, you could be sure the Joker wasn't far.

"Winter was coming, but Spring is to be feared too !" cracked the punny heroine, as she set off her giant die-shaped spring, and (got) high enough to reach one of the turrets. Like the well-oiled engine it was, the turret took aim for a close and painful shot. The Joker answered with a giggle. "Now that's a close-up ! But I think it's time for a well-deserved lunch break !" Between her twintails, a hot-dog of all things popped up, and it was immediately stuffed right inside the turret('s) cannon.

And like the cartoonish heroine that had shoved it there, the snack clogged up the mechanism, which inflated like a balloon, and went up in a burst of metal and sulphur. Not only that, but the bun missile was ejected so quickly, it crashed into the adjacent turret, and took it out as well. Back on the ground, the Joker simply stretched a hand to catch her delicious weapon, and taking a generous bite out of it. She licked her chops. "Hmm, laser-grilled. A bit charred though, if I'm being frank."

As he was gaining his sight back, Dr. Carnation pestered. "Graah ! Do you know how much those cost to make ?! Money doesn't grow on trees, and I should know ! Augh, that's it !" Two of his vines stretched to the sky, and aimed for a "TIMBER" of epic proportions. "Time to lay down for good, you pesky kids !"

"It ain't nap time 'till we say so, right sis ?!" the other young blonde of the (fray) declared, to which the concerned member nodded with assurance. One should feel themself mellowed by her infantile appearance or her (overwhelming) cuteness – which nobody denied – her red mask and blankie cape gave her the same authority and heroism as all her big sisters. If bad deeds were your game, and a sensitive nose was your (blame), you did not want the Deuce as your opponent.

With little time to act, the Deuce snatched some ammo from her utility belt. And not just any ammo, two prime Taco Tuesday diapers from last week, with extra salsa. Enough to clear up an entire mall on the (peak day) of the Sales. She made a perfect throw to the base of the glorified flowerpot's cockpit. Fumes penetrated the small air breach, and wandered around the insides of the glass dome, leaving Dr. Carnation to fully go green.

"Urp ! This is rancid beyond belief !" gagged the monster, almost wiltering on the spot. "What kind of manure is this ?"

"Poo-poo !" replied the Deuce, and nodded to her big sister, who had just finished redirecting some underground pipeline with her special spanner. This was only one of the many tools at her disposal, that could fix up anything just as fast as it could take the bad guys down. She needed no gloves for her work, (traces) of dirt were only rightful battle scars for the Royal Flush.

"You look like you could use a bath ! But don't worry, the water will match the drapes." said the little plumber with a toothy grin. One sharp crank of her spanner, and a flow of water burst from the pipe to wash away the diapers and their horrendous odour. But clean water and the Royal Flush wasn't that good of a match, especially when she was on the clock. So instead...

"Sewage water ?! AUUUUGH !" cried Dr. Carnation, once again assaulted by a horrible smell, doubled by gunk attacking his machine's controls, and temporarily paralysing him. Not to mention the flies that somehow snucked inside, and acted up the mean flower head's (low-key) germophobia.

And because of the chaos, he didn't hear the sound of a jetpack coming his way. One that only needed hot tunes as its fuel. And its user was more than capable on delivering them on a (constant basis), along with a chill attitude, and a beating cranked up to the Danger Zone. If you heard Night Club coming, you said good-bye to your eardrums, and she said hello to a loud whoopin'.

"Sorry mates, but the laser show's cancelled !" bellowed the teen, and gave her square guitar a powerfull riff. The chords instantly lit up as white as Night Club's face, and produced a sonic wave that rippled through one of the remaining turrets, leaving only smoldering rubble. "Yeah, that's right ! Loud, I want to hear it loud !"

"Nice solo act, Night Club." commended Ace from his spot next to the sole turret still standing, which he had slinghotted himself to along with One-Eyed Jack. "But duos are still a great hit too, right Jack ?"

"Darn tootin' !" said Jack brazenly. The two stuck a pair of their calling cards, crowned with a (telltale) red dot on top of them, and quickly dove back towards the ground. Their descent was accompanied by a quickeing series of beeps, and their landing by a loud explosion that took the turret with it. A second was taken to admire their work. "Who said a pair never took the (pile) ?" added Jack, fistbumping his buddy.

His (poste de commande) smelling like barf and the soiled ground covered with fly corpses, Dr. Carnation was positively fuming at the bouts of insolence ruining his plans of destruction. But as mad as they made him, he had to admit, they were good. "Perhaps a change of field might even things out." he grumbled, and pressed a lot of flashing buttons in hopes to turn his machine around. But a powerful quake, along with a lack of movement all but indicated that this was not to be. "What is it now ?!" hollered the plant madly.

"Simple. I find the root of the problem, I bury it. It's just what I dig." monotoned the darkest, but not less heroic member of the Full House Gang. The shadows of a dangerous alleyway were her friends, as were the bats and crows that scourged the night and whispered the secrets of the city's shadiest corners under her dark hood. Armed of her trusty shovel, the Eight of Spades struck the just kind of terror in the hearts of her ennemies.

At the moment though, the raven-haired heroine was content to strike fury in Dr. Carnation's heart – if he even had one – by having one of his roots in the grave. Apparently, a minute or two had been enough for her to dig a hole as long as a lorrey, large as two, and deep enough to get most of the gargantuan vine inside it, keeping it steady for a long, long rest. All of that could seem-

"IMPOSSIBLE ! How did you even get it to fit ?! Why am I noticing this NOW ?!" boomed Dr. Carnation, flying off the handle like the mad flower he was.

"I've got a good poker face." replied Lucy nonchalantly.

"YOU'RE NOT EVEN MAKING SENSE !"

"And you are a dead hand. Such is the game. Such is life."

"RRRRRGH ! That still doesn't explain why that darn hole is holding up so well ! No human (building component) can resist my vicious greenery !" the fiend pestered some more, as he chomped on the handle of a lever, and kept cranking it back and forth, but to no avail. Not so much as a pebble would move from around the root.

"I believe I can shed some light on the subject." quipped a younger lass, but with brain power that shot far past her junevile appearance. She could read a casino's worth of guidelines as easily as she could the poor soul pitted against her. And if you were a cheater, well, you could count yourself out of the (game). Because the Card Counter would deal you a lesson you'd never forget. "As you can see, I've added some of my latest (ground hardener). A few drops well-applied onto any bare soil, and even quicksands will be turned into concrete even the richest of tars couldn't make sturdier. Not to mention, visually adequate." she purred, proudly patting the black (matter). "So smooth, even Death would take its time over that grave."

"Nice analogy." commended Spades.

"Nice hole." said Counter, returning the tiny smile.

Despite his blazing fury, Dr. Carnation cracked a crazy grin straight down at the two. "Oh ho ho, you like graves, don't ya ? Then please, allow me ! Yours are on the HOUSE !" was hollered, before he let one of his other roots go on a free dive for a little goody-goody shish kebab.

But before this story could be bumped up a couple of ratings, the cavalry arrived, in the form of one spiffy young girl, in her early teens and special (suspenders), bumping the root away with a clear headbutt. Her speed, while not the one of a speeding bullet, was on par with her bull-like strength, and her agility of which more than one (Olympic) gymnast would blush . She always was first on the crime scene, and the last one to fold in the face of danger, especially for her pals. Such were the convictions of the Strong Suit.

"Sorry, jerkweed, but I'm bumping that pot, and bumping it good." (said) the brunette daredevil with a crack of her knuckles. "Now let's go for a spin ! The lucky number's on... seven !" Unleashing her war cry, Strong Suit enacted an impressive series of jumps and somersaults that got her through the many vines that came after her. Sometimes she'd give them a hearty bump to remind them who was the beef around here, though she still paced herself.

But it was not to avoid a headache, or a scar. A day without one of those was lackluster, at best. No, the course was being carefully plotted, with some silent indications from the duo she had just saved, whom Dr. Carnation had completely forgot about. He also wasn't keeping much tabs on the knots and (intermittances) he was putting them through, too enthralled in this game of Whack-a-Hero. "C'mon, Carney ! There's a high-score name to write in that little (twerp)'s blood~!" sing-sang the doctor with a demented grin, that only got wilder when she finally stopped moving, as if to catch her breath. "I'VE GOT HER !"

*KLANG !*

He didn't get her. Mainly because of the heap of tangles that most of the giant roots had become, save for one lucky son of a petunia, still providing (wonky) stability to the giant machine. A bit of a downer for the (hyper hero). "Six out of seven. Oh well, it was a tight game anyway. Yo, time to rake (them) !"

"Coming~!" sang the blond beauty of the group, swooping by with the help of her ultra-(extensible) and multi-wash railbird scarf. Perhaps she wasn't the sharpest card of the deck, but when the game was on, she wasn't afraid to crack a nail or two to avoid the gambling of innocent lives. Her tenderness was what made her one of the most popular of the stack after all, and her name was anything but a ditzy mistake. For the Eleven of Hearts always had an extra one to share around.

"Hmm..." the fashionista of justice took a thoughtful expression. "Oh dear, so many tangles. Don't you know you've gotta comb your hair fifty times before bedtime ?"

"Hair ?! Where do you see hair on this head ?!" raged Carnation.

"Well, if you tried combing it, maybe you'd, like, be able to see it." she replied matter-of-factly.

"I WILL MURDER YOU FOR EVERY STRING OF HAIR YOU HAVE !"

"Yeesh, tough customer. But don't worry, a few ribbons here and there will fix everything !" squealed the Eleven of Hearts. With many more scarves up her sleeves, her boots, and even a couple hiding behind her bangs, she unleashed a true Ribbongeddon on the fiendish ceiling, but all while keeping it exceptionnally fashionable. Red and blue ? No siree ! But add a bold dash of purple, and you suddenly had miracle in the making !

A couple of snips and traps later, and out came the third biggest perm ever created. Every vine had been meticulously (ironed) and combed into a majestic flow of nature's prime (presentation). No tangle, no split leaves, and of course, no possibility for the bunch to wiggle its way out of this beautiful bush. To which one plant could only be slack-jawed at.

"Did... Did you just transform my (tool) of (doom) into a topiary from the 80's ?"

"Totes gorges, right ?!" chirped the blond heroine, one end of the ribbon rope firmly held in her grasp. But her sweet smile turned into mischief as she started reeling that rope back towards her. "In fact, I bet you're so excited... you can't stay on your seat !"

"Okay, first of all, I don't have a sea-" he began, but was cut by the impact of the green meteorite that had just been let loose. An impact so powerful, it uprooted him straight out of his soil. The villain only had time for a quick high-pitched scream, before his meek body hit the top of his (dome) with a dull, but mocking 'thump'. "Well, it can't get any worst than this."

Never gets old.

The roaring engine of (van?) echoed once again, and the confident grin harboured by the High Card by the window sent a clear message, but which bared repeating. "Guys, clean the carpets, I'm going all in !" All acted immediately, for they knew that a (van) sent at high speed was one that neither their abilities or luck would be able to stop.

Despite his face being squished against the glass, the fiendish plant emited a weak cackle. "You really think... this micromachine... can do jack against my collossus of steel ?"

The Full House Gang and the Ace Pair answered their enemy's hollow confidence with (complice) grins. "Oh it could, but it's not the vehicle you should be worried about." smirked Ace almost (arrongantly). "It's what ace it might have up its wheels."

Right on cue, High Card pulled a large lever right next to the (frein à main). The roof of the blue van lit up with three white panels, but the blank spaces were quickly replaced with rapidly spinning pictures of all sorts. The jingle of a slot machine only got faster as the spinning slowed down more and more. But instead of BARs, a fruit salad, or them lucky sevens... a grey cauldron was what appeared to be filling the slots one by one.

To say that Dr. Carnation was confused would be going back to a couple of minutes ago, because now he was as lost as a (pissenlit) in a field of sunflowers.

When the three pots aligned, steam rose from the white roof as it slid open, revealing not only its high-tech propreties, but also the weapon that was aiming to do its target in. It raised on a firing (rampe) that unfolded itself in a few seconds for a clear shot, with glowing cyan suit symbols on the sides. Finally, all could see the giant pot unveiled, or to be more precise, a glowing missile in the form of a giant pot, just as modern-looking as its launching pad.

Written dead on the front of that ? One word. Jack.

"I despise you all from the core of the seed I (budded) from." deadpanned Dr. Carnation, accepting of his fate.

"FOLD !" shouted the whole hero gang, as High Card pulled on the fuzzy dice cordon, and sent the cauldron flying at breakneck speed. The shock between metals was enough to get the biggest machine to topple over, but the explostion that followed magnified it, and got the machine to completely flip on the glass dome. The only remaining root was now stuck under it as well. As for Dr. Carnation, his body bounced off because of the quake, and splatted flat against the glass again.

With a certain victory in sight, the thirteen heroes (rounded up) the husk of metal. The Royal Flush had a giant plunger in her hand, hitting it against her open palm, with clear plans shimmering in her little eyes. "A few (squeezes), and I'll have that bad bud out of there in no time." she said with no little pride.

"Well Doctor, it looks like you're set to go from the green fields of evil, to the grey tiles of prison." quipped Ace Savvy victoriously, relieved that the day was over. "Don't worry, they'll know how to keep you busy there."

But the day was yet to be over, for the crazy daisy's disgruntled frown soon slithered into a sneaky grin. "Oh will they now ? Well then, I certainly hope I'll be able to practice my favourite hobby..." he chuckled lowly, all while one of his own roots stretched over to his control panel. "GARDENING !"

As soon as he smashed the biggest, roundest red button on his console, Dr. Carnation saw his creation thunder to life anew. Multiple panels opened from all sides, and out came a deadly bunch of chainsaws and tree trimmers. All of which already had their target.

"Mad whackers ! (Tail) it like white bunnies, dudes !" cried Night Club, prompting everybody to retreat hastefully from the sharp tools, that immediately attacked the very (béton) they had just jumped away from. Their course didn't stop there, however. They began cutting straight into the (bases) of the damaged roots, spilling red tree sap everywhere.

"Nooo ! My ribbons !" sobbed the Eleven of Hearts before her hard work reduced into pieces. "But wait, why did he cut them ? Isn't that, like, going to make moving even harder ?"

"Not if you count the fact that their cells can rapidly regenerate, it won't ! Look !" the Card Counter pointed fearfully at the reforming green (shrubs), eventually coming back as even thicker thorny vines. They planted themselves into the ground, obliterating the pavement, as well as (sending) the young heroes back. Before they could curse their luck, of which they were never short of, the machine of destruction was back on its vines, looking more menacing than ever.

"Hehehehehe, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !" cackled Dr. Carnation with sadistic glee. "How do you like them apples ?! Nature always takes its rights back, and with interests ! Try toppling it now, that'll be worth a good laugh ! But just to be safe..."

*CRASH !*

One of the fiend's mighty roots of destruction struck the (van), and totaled it into a carpet of scrap iron. And while High Card could count herself lucky to have not been in there anymore, the attack certainly left her distraught at the corpse before her. "MY BABYYYYYY !" she howled in grief.

"And presto !" the villain laughed at the eldest's misery, much to the rest of the gang's anger. The dome angled itself for him to look straight at the masked boy, who was sneering back. "This is it for you this time, Ace ! No getaway, no help, and no more of those lame little oneliners ! You had your chance calling it quits, but now it's time to pay full price !" Three of the vines uprooted themselves, transformed their tips into bigger versions of the razorsharp thorns (parcouring) them, and all aimed at the (landlubbers) below. "Well Ace ? Where's that ace up your sleeves now ?!"

"I'll be serving those, thank you."

Before he could even register the new voice, Dr. Carnation saw one of his giant sharpened roots getting homed and sludged by a missile out of nowhere. The incandescent nature of the sludge burned right through the green and melted it like butter in the sun. But the unknown wasn't the only surprising part about this. No, the smell that left the odd brown goo was just as bizarre. None of the putrid smell of chemicals clashing agianst some genetically modified sap, to create an absolutely repugnant concoction. Instead, the nearby audience, including the noseless plant, could pick up a strange note of...

"Cinnamon ?" grunted Dr. Carnation out of share confusion, which only grew when two other bombs nicked the two other roots. "Apple ? Cranberry ? What the (frick) is happening ?!"

"It's her !" gasped the Queen of Diamonds in pure elation.

"Our trump card has arrived !" rejoiced Strong Suit with a fistpump.

"And she'll be putting the heat in those sweets ! Hahaha !" guffawed the Joker.

"What are you annoyings pests blabbering now ?!" hissed the flower. A shadow fell over his dome. "Hmm ?"

Perched at the peak of a nearby building still standing, a figure observed the scene with her two crimson (pupils), hidden behind her hero mask. Her long white ears fluttered in the shy breeze, as did her rich blue cape, and her purple suit seemed to glow in the shadow of the Sun. She had gloves, that looked close to oven mitts, but she needed no shoes to make a safe landing down below. Finally, her symbol was (embed) on her chest, in the form of a burning heart, with wings that promised to carry out justice wherever she went.

As the everyday monster, she was only Toriel, the kind baker that always had a slice of pie for the good children that crossed the (palier) of her little shop, and who had an odd fascination towards cephalopods of all kinds. But when more dangerous games were to be played, she was...

"The city and myself have had quite enough of your ruckus, child. Now, you have Hot Hand to deal with !" announced the new hero of (Casinopolis) as she struck a pose.

Carnation's leaves hit his console violently. "BLAST IT ALL ! How many of you termites are going to crawl from a rock to eat away the foundations of my evil genius ?! Oooh, that's a good one, gotta write it down..."

"Yay ! Go Goa-" began the Eleven of Hearts, but caught herself right on time. A big heart she had, but she had little resilience to spilling secrets like a carton of soy milk. "I mean, Go Go Hot Hand ! You've got him in a pinch of sugar now !"

"Nice save, brah." thumbsupped Night Club.

Hot Hand spun around for dramatic effect – and for that cape twirl, couldn't get enough – and pointed a stern finger at the flowery fiend. "This is your last warning, young man ! Surrender peacefully, or else !"

At that, Dr. Carnation only snickered mockingly. "Or else what ? Up to bed with no dessert ?"

Behind her latex mask, the goat lady of justice returned the smirk. "On the contrary, child. You'll get more desserts than your stomach can handle."

"Then joke's on you ! I'm a flower, I've got no stomach ! But what I do have, is about ten non-melted arms that would be delighted to grind you and your dishes into delicious compost for my future experiments ! SIC 'ER, GIRLS !" barked Dr. Carnation, and the roots followed through on the double.

"Watch out, Hot Hand ! Mean and green coming your way !" warned One-eyed Jack, with concern for the old lady behind the costume. But Ace was quick to reassure

"Jack old pal, don't worry. She's got more than a few good cards on her side..."

Hot Hand shook her head in (disappointment) at the incoming roots. "Very well. Time to send this game to red-hot levels !" she declared, materialising a bright red flame around her gloved paw. Inside the (goutte), a round object seemed to be cooking up. Left with little time to get it to the right temperature, Hot Hand leaped from her (stand), just as a root struck the side of the building. Her position was perfect. She aimed and shouted, "Open wide !", before throwing down her simmering weapon.

The impact was smaller, but far more violent, as the red goo didn't just stick to a part of the root, but ate its way up to about three quarters of it, burned everything in its path, and then stuck around to prevent it from regenerating.

Hot lava ? Think again.

"Cherry jam ?! What kind of pyromancer are you supposed to be ?!" growled Dr. Carnation, more confused than anything else.

"Pyromancy is part of my abilities, yes, but..." trailed on Hot Hand, as she landed back on the building. Her two hands lit up with a purple flame and a blue flame, and out came two delicious looking... pies ? "... I prefer to cook up fiends with some Pie-romancy instead, hehe !"

"Good one, double H !" laughed the Joker.

"You said it." (added) the Eight of Spades, a rare content smile as she sucked on her finger covered in now benign cherry jelly. "Life just a little bit sweeter... and I like it."

"Oh for green thumb sake- PULVERIZE HER AND HER TARTS !" hotly hollered Dr. Carnation, going for another swipe. An attempt that proved unfruitful, as Hot Hand rolled out of the way, and prepared her own next shot.

"Pies, dear. Toasty, yet fresh, like this blueberry (delicacy) !" said the heroine, before throwing down the blue pie at one of the roots. The blue flames laced around the (tige), eating it on the inside, but they threw an immediate 180° when (stakes) of ice emerged all over it.

"That's right, put him on ice !" encouraged High Card, still mighty (miffed) by the destruction of her precious van.

"And a blackberry slice for this one !" Hot Hand warred on, and launched her next pie. Upon impact, dark bubbles appeared all over the root like some kind of (gangrene). And with each pop, entire chunks of the green root went away, reducing it to a dripping husk. Despite his buttons being pushed, Dr. Carnation kept pushing the ones before him.

"I'm making GOAT KEBAB tonight !" he pestered madly, sending more roots ahead.

"Careful, sizzling (compère) ! Three bad weeds at 8 o'clock !" warned ever-watchful Card Counter.

With this new info, but not a lot of space left on the roof, Hot Hand leaped forward for a quick descent. The roots didn't back down however, and called onto the pursuit. But Hot Hand was always prepared for a customer rush.

"Such a sweet tooth you have there ! However, let us try something a little more... sour." A wrinkle dared to manifest itself on the furred hero's forehead as she put a little more focus in her next flame, this time as ebony as probably was 's heart. The pie that appeared at the middle of the pitch black embers seemed to contain the darkest of culinary arts within it. She only had to let it go to unleash them, in the form of the pie bcoming a sudden (black) vortex which engulfed the roots, and sucked them in their entirety. The chopped parts gained the colour of death as well.

As she landed, Hot Hand cracked a smile. "Hehe, few are the fans of black licorice."

"But she makes it awesome !" cheered the Queen of Diamonds.

Dr. Carnation finally began to feel the nervosity coming up his sweating petals, as his trump card, hidden behind the element of surprise, was starting to shrivel away, big time. With only a half of his roots to support his machine, and the other half permanently out of commission, things were looking rather dire. As such, there was only one thing left to do, according to any good villain's credo : Scram away to plot another day.

"G-Golly, this has been so nice fighting with y'all. But, I think I've left a mudpie in the oven ! So... see ya !" said the fiend, before turning the right knobs to start scrambling away.

But Hot Hand certainly was not done teaching this naughty weed a lesson. As one of her hands came (alit) with a new blaze, the (wildest) so far, she wagged her finger at his (lame plan). "My apologies, but you simply cannot. Not until you taste my pie de résistance..." The dark pink inferno expanded higher and higher still, while its (contours) began to spin rapidly, building up a true twister of flavour and power.

"Is anyone feeling like lunch after that ? Because I just totes want to stuff my face with something sweet right about now !" drooled the Eleven of Hearts, enthralled in the powerful smell invading the block.

"Poo-poo !" agreed the Deuce.

"It's her final technique ! She's upping the ante for real now !" one-lined Ace through the growing storm.

Just before the tasty storm could get out of control, Hot Hand regained just that. The fire opened into a large hand, that clenched around the spinning pie inside. The area fell silent, an instant of (peace) before the big finish. A fleeting moment that stopped Dr. Carnation in his steps. Indeed the (tantalising) smell had paralysed the plant in its escape course, despite his mind screaming at him to proceed with it, and URGENTLY SO !

She then carefully reared up her hand, balanced herself on one feet, and aimed for the mother of all pitches. (?) "I hope you've got room for my Raspberry Swirl, because here it comes !" Hot Hand clamoured mightfully.

And the sizzling projectile was off. The (crépitante) raspberry filling kept rotating at high speed around it, producing the high-pitched whirring sound of the (incandescent) circular saw it was. Said saw immediately went for the roots of the problem. It went back and forth at incredible speed, slicing every last (standstill) into black ribbons. Of course, their bases were effectively charred to crisps.

So naturally, logic took its course, in the form of gravity, as the now defenseless metallic hub started its inevitable descent back to solid land. But it didn't meet that ground. Yet. For the Raspberry Swirl had yet to complete his mission.

As Hot Hand was spinning her still blazing index in a short circle, the velocity of the pie picked up the pace even more, with a new course in around the falling saucer. When it became to the point where only a pink circle could be seen, a vortex of (pink) flames erupted to the skies above. One passing bird almost got himself (cooked). Dr. Carnation could only scream in apt terror as he was both flung around his machine, and slowly cooked to a crusty, but ultimately sour flavour.

"Yeah, things are cooking up for that guy ! Get it ?" cracked the Joker, to nobody in particular. Ignore the white boxes, they were already there.

"Hmmm, this looks fun and tasty." said the Royal Flush with a lick of her chops. "That guy's getting in all the good fun. Kinda unfair, if you ask me."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH !" cried Carnation like a sissy little tulip. "I YIELD ! I YIEEEELD ! LET ME OFF THIS THING, I'M BEGGING YA !"

"Is the lesson learned then, young man ?" (asked) Hot Hand, arms crossed for the answer, but her finger still spinning.

Dr. Carnation was tempted for a last bit of snark, but when one of his petals inexplicably produced a big pop-corn (bit), he surrendered. "YES YES YES ! I'LL NEVER ATTACK THIS STUPID CITY AGAIN ! NOW PLEASE, I'M ABOUT TO HURL MY LUNCH ! AND WE BOTH KNOW WHAT I EAT FOR LUNCH, AND WHY IT SHOULDN'T COME BACK UP !"

"I still haven't heard the magic 'S' word~"

"I'M SORRY ! WANNA HEAR ME SAY IT IN 27 LANGUAGES ?! I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRY !"

Hot Hand's sly smirk flipped to motherly and warm in a flash. "That's all I wanted to hear." With a flick of her fingers, the flames dissipated into nothingness, both around her paw and those tempesting about. And without the violent gale to swing it around, the hunk of metal resumed its dip towards the concrete. The whole thing shattered upon impact, due to the many scraps and (shocks) it had sustained from the whole deck of heroes, and the dome quite litteraly ended up in pieces.

Dr. Carnation, no longer with any soil nor plans to root for, soared in the air like an eagle, and fell down like a brick. His mind was foggy, his (stem) felt queasy, and his wiltered stance on the ground wasn't doing him any favours. "At least the sun's still shining..." he mumbled to the ground, with his megaphone lost among the wreckage.

A thick veil of shade encompassed his prone form. He could now sense high amounts of smugness lingering around. "Son of a seed..." the villain all but whimpered.

"Ready to drop the cards, Carnation ?" asked the bombastic hero of the white hair.

The puns and the numbness in his entire (body) were getting unbearablequick , so the flowery fiend simply took out a small white flag, and waved it. "Mercy..." he pleaded.

Ace Savvy shared a (victorious grin) with his allies of all kinds and suits."Don't worry. You'll get the sunniest corner of the big house."

"Yeah, you'll be rooted to the spot when you'll see it. Litterally !" mocked High Card, to which everyone laughed joyously.

"I'm not laughing."

Everyone that mattered, and had hands, laughed joyously.

"...No need to be mean about it."

…

It took a good couple of minutes for the municipality forces to arrive on the scene of a new villain's degeneration at the hands of the city's protectors. The protectors themselves didn't mind the wait, as it gave them plenty of time to shake hands and bask in the gratefulness of the inhabitants. Some took the pose for pictures to be unleashed on the Web, while others were handing autographs by the dozen, whether on paper or on body parts that would never be washed again. Ace Savvy was of course the main attraction, his flamboyant leadership inspiring and catching the eye of many, especially some of the ladies.

But the vote of the children had to go for Hot Hand. Then again, when you could snap yourself a slice of scrumptious pie for everybody, popularity was pretty much a guarantee. Even Dr. Carnation got to be in a selfie or two, to his growing (annoyance).

A crane first arrived to drag the small mountain of metallic rubble away – courtesy of the Gang tying the many rusty remains together – promptly followed by a tow truck, here to get the (van) to a place where it could get the (treatements) it needed.

"I'm dreadfully sorry for your vehicle, dear." amended Hot Hand, carressing the shoulder of an upset High Card. "If I had made my entrance sooner, perhaps..."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Hot Hand." reassured High Card, wiping away incoming droplets. "She's survived way worse than that. Besides, we'll make sure that every last dollar for its (entretien), plus a couple of enhancements here and there, are squeezed out of the good doctor's secret account. Isn't that right ?" she purred devishly.

"I hate everything." spat Carnation. And he did.

But High Card certainly didn't hate the next arrival. A police van, driven by Inspector Roberto Santiago, ever the kind, but just upholder of justice in the crime-ridden city. Always by his side was his tough-as-nails partner, who had the means to be persuasive against any kind of lowlife (crawling) the streets, but still a delicate blooming flower in the eyes of his protective big bro, (Constable) Ronalda Santiago. But you didn't get to call her Ronalda. Not without an extra spine busting.

"Great job as usual, Full House Gang." commended Inspector Santiago, tipping off his greasy fedora, especially towards the swooning High Card. She just loved a man in uniform. "The city's jailhouse has this new kind of fertilizer that should hold him where he belongs. We'll have him grounded for a long time, I can guarantee that."

"HA ! If you think that your second-rate manure can keep me behind bars – the greatest genius (town?) has ever known ! – you're in for some disappointement, coppers !" spat Dr. Carnation, his rancid identity apparently still in one piece despite his (shaggy) appearance. Fortunately...

"Oh, I wouldn't count on it, weedy the weirdo." sniggered the tough gal, as she squeezed a main grip around the fiend's stem. That shade of (cerulan) growing around his face was simply divine. Constable Ron looked him dead in the eye, and pulled on one of his petals. "Or you'll be left in the care of (Lazlo), our hound. And she loves to have her daily share of flower heads to munch on. It makes her fur glisten in the sun."

Dr. Carnation blanched and wisely shut his trap. His roots were promptly stuffed into a metal flower pot. The security kicked in immediately, and a disc closed around his stem, preventing any escape. The mad doctor could only mutter profanities under his breath as he was thrown into the back of the van. He would have sworn vengeance on those cursed kids, and their mangy goat ally, but he had already (égosiller) too much for one day.

"Welp, it was a pleasure seeing you again, but we've got a delivery to make." saluted Roberto with solid professionalism, which didn't last. "And I've got to call my beautiful girlfriend. It's Date Night, and I'm taking her to that new japanese place. I hope she'll be surprised !"

"She won't believe her ears, am I right ?" snickered Strong Suit, playfully elbowing High Card, who was trying her best not to swoon, less she wanted to reveal her secret identity to be revealed the world. One-eyed Jack on the other hand, threw a pretty threatening death glare with just one eye.

"Oh ! Before you go, please, you must have a snack for the road !" exclaimed Hot Hand, extending a hand, and summoning forth two big slices of pie wrapped in her own magic packaging material, capable to keep any hot snack as (crunchy) as when it left the oven, or an ice-cream cake as cold as when it flew off the shelves of the freezer. "You two look simply famished, and I'm sure your loved ones won't mind a little dough on those bones."

"Gosh, you sound just like our (abuela)." playfully huffed Constable Santiago, and busied herself pushing her drooling (kin) back into the car. Before taking the driver seat however, she threw a (brisk) smile in the white-haired boy's direction. "Though next time, try to leave us a slice of the action instead. We've got your back, any time."

Ace Savvy returned a brisk wink. You always needed an ace up your sleeves, and this particular Ace counted himself lucky for Ms. Savvy to always be near. Very, very near indeed...

A 'click' brought Ace out of his reverie, and observed in horror the motherly hero putting a small camera back in her robes' pocket. "This is precious. Absolutely precious !"

"You're giving her your best play, Romeo !" teased the little Queen to the scarlet-faced hero.

"This is a bet worth placing your hopes into. And that's coming from me." said Spades with a little grin of her own.

"Easy win, easy gooooo smooch (you) some cute chica !" guffawed Night Club.

With embarassing playfulness bumping him on all sides, and his snickering buddy not being very helpful on the matter, Ace was thankful that no villain was there to see the weak slappy motions he was using to push back his meddling teammates. "Rrrgh, shoo shoo ! Stop hovering over my shoulder, you vultures ! And, um, Hot Hand, could I get that film, please ?"

Ace begged for his dignity. It wasn't very effective against the goat lady. "And deny the scrapbook its rights of keeping precious memories warm forever and even after that ? I think not, my child." was Hot Hand's final word on the matter, completed with a sympathic pat on the head. Ace Savvy resigned himself to his small stain on his luck steak.

"Aww, you two are one pair of a kind ! I just, like, don't know any bester couple than the two of you !" brightly smiled the Eleven of Hearts.

Suddenly, the Royal Flush, with her (surhumain) skills in the world of (mécanique), heard the squeak of tyres getting closer. She peered as best she could down the street, and recognised a van of local news. When she recognized its otherworldly customizations, she knew just whose van that was.

"You might count your cards before playing them, Hearts. 'Cause boy, have I got news for you." quipped the little blonde as she tried to hold her laughter. Then couldn't help herself when the sweet hero's face lit up like a Christmas Tree when she too, saw the vehicle. Her gloved hand dug into her bag, and rummaged through it frantically.

"My eye liner ! WHERE IS MY EYE LINER ?!" The poor girl was having a five-second meltdown. But she was no vain girl. This was not for the cameras, but for the man working the camera.

Or rather, the monster working it.

And she found herself out of time pretty quick, for the van closed the small distance in a heartbeat, and landed – yes, LANDED – near the heroic group with a crash, but still made a perfect parallel-parking. The sliding door on its sides opened immediately, so fast that it almost ripped itself from its hinges. And there he appeared. A reporter whose charisma and popularity had soared beyond anyone's expectations, and who had all of Eleven Hearts hammering for him.

"Sweetie, you're drooling." whispered Hot Hand, wiping the trail away with a handkerchief.

"AH, THE SCENT OF THE ACTION IS STILL FRESH !" exclaimed Papyrus, skeleton of the field and journalist extraordinaire. "SANS, IS THE CAMERA READY TO ROLL ?!"

"ready as it can be." nodded the stout cameraman. His camera not in hand, for it resided on a bycicle. "it should make it to detroit easy. it's got some dope lenses."

"SANS ! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT YOUR HORRID PUNS ?!"

"not outside the comedy club. also, don't talk about the comedy club." Sans wisely advised, before picking up his camera. "alright, for real this time. we go live in five. four. three. twoooooo..."

"GREAT BREAKING NEWS, NYEH HEH HEH !" hollered Papyrus. His loud enthusiastic voice was one of the subtle (advantages) that had landed him the job in the first place. No need to record an intro ! "HELLO, YOU AMAZING AUDIENCE YOU ! IT IS I, THE GREAT REPORTER PAPYRUS, STANDING ON THE AFTERMATH OF A TRUE BATTLE BETWEEN A GOOD DECK OF HEROES, AND A PIECE OF GREEN SO ROTTEN, THE VEGETOIDS WENT ON STRIKE !"

"reports say the march's vegetating now that he's behind bars." added Sans. The Joker gave it a thumbs up, and Hot Hand a small giggle.

"ANYWHO... WE ARE IN LUCK, DEAR VIEWERS ! FOR WE'LL NOW BE INTERVIEWING OUR GREAT SAVIOURS, THE DECK THAT LAYS DOWN JUSTICE, AND (?) : ACE SAVVY, ONE-EYED JACK, AND THE WHOLE FULL HOUSE GANG ! SAY HELLO TO THE CAMERA, GANG ! SHE WORKS A HARD JOB, SO SHE NEEDS ALL THE CONFIDENCE SHE CAN RECORD !"

The heroes held a brief moment of confusing stares, but rolled with it. "HI CAMERA !" The edges of the lenses reddened a bit.

"ACE SAVVY ! YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD THE HOME ADVANTAGE, BUT YOU STILL THREW IN THE 'DAVID VS GOLIATH' OF THE 21ST CENTURY ! NOW WITH MORE LASERS ! TO WHAT DO YOU (OWN) THIS AMAZING VICTORY ?!" asked Papyrus, lowering his mike for the young (justicier) to speak into. And to check out the craftsmanship. A good Papyrus reporter was nothing without accessories at his own effigy.

"Thank you, Papyrus, but there was no one David here. If I had been alone down there, fighting for my life against that crazy (weed), this would have been my last hand for sure." chuckled Ace in a quite rare display of humbleness. He hooked an arm around Jack's shoulder, and let the others crowd around him. "I (own) everything to my fantastic team. I may be an ace, but to win the tricky game that is the poker of justice, you need the best (support) to scoop the bad guys. Suits of all kinds, jacks of all trades... and some pretty neat company."

Everyone around Ace 'awwed' to his uplifting speech, and the girls seized him in a warm hero embrace. Made even warmer by Hot Hand (putting her arms around) the whole gang, and lifting them up in a hug that had all the fuzzies. The adorable sight made the sympathetic reporter melt into tears.

"NYEEEEEH ! SUCH LOYAL AND UNWILTERING CAMARADERIE ! IT BRINGS TEARS TO THIS SKELETON'S EYESOCKETS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN !" bawled Papyrus like a baby. Then professionalism kicked in, and his bright smile was back in a flash. "I THINK WE'VE SEEN ENOUGH FOR THE MOMENT ! JOIN US IN A FEW MINUTES, WHERE WE'LL BE SHOWING THE CEREMONY FROM CO-MAYORS RITA AND LYNN, TO CONGRATULATE OUR HEROES EVEN FURTHER ! THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED WITH A LONG, HEART-TO-HEART INTERVIEW, BETWEEN ME, THE GREAT REPORTER PAPYRUS, AND ONE OF OUR HEROES ! BUT WHOM WILL IT BE ?!"

"SHE'LL DO IT !" exclaimed the heroes minus one, as they shoved the Eleven of Hearts forward. Flustered at first, the hero of fashion realised what invaluable chance was being offered to her at the moment. "Y-Yeah, what they said." she murmured, before her mind crashed on itself when the (television man) took her arm.

"SPLENDID ! TO THE NEWS MOBILE, AND ITS SMALL, TIGHT COUCH FOR US TO SEAT TOGETHER !" pounced Papyrus with zeal. Leni didn't need to be told twice, letting herself be (traîner) alone the ride with the smile of bliss in its purest form. Her companions watched the van depart with pride in their chests.

"Someone's going to sleep well tonight." High Card snickered good-naturedly.

"It will be quite the marvel if she ever halts her grinning for the remaining of the month." nodded the Card Counter, just as amused.

"Righteous. So, are we movin' to that fiesta, or what ?!" shredded Night Club. "You heard him, the party's in a few minutes, dudes !"

Hot Hand gave a soft gasp. "Oh my, to make pies for the whole town ! Normally, I'd be overjoyed, but a few minutes might be cutting it a little (thin), even for me." Her worries were put to halt when she felt a small tug at her dress, by an equally small hand. "Do you have an idea, Deuce ?"

When the heroine of a thousand stinks lifted up a toy whisk and put on a little chef's hat, in spite of being one of the deadliest heroes when on a raging battlefield, the assembly couldn't help but melt under her infantile charm. A tear rolled from under One-Eyed Jack's eyepatch. "This little lady stirs up emotions that shouldn't even be possible..."

"It's a deal, my little assistant." cooed the Pieromanceress while taking the Deuce for a little flight that filled her with all kinds of giddyness. "Will any more hands assist me ? My assistants always get to lick the spoon~"

"MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME !" raved the children like rightful madmen who didn't have some of Toriel's treats rolling around their mouths.

"TO THE BAKERY, LIGHT SPEED !" whooped High Card, already wearing her baker's apron, somehow, with 'Kiss the Pâtissière ! (to your own risks)' written on it. With no time to loose and no reason to do so, the hero bunch made a beeline like a pack of raveneous wolves in the bakery's direction. All but one, noted the (tarmac) burner. And the most important one of all. "Ace ? Are you coming ?"

Ace didn't answer immediately. His mind had forgotten all about the sweet promise, and instead focused on a strangely familiar sight. A pair of red eyes under a mop of brown hair, peering at him from a (dusty) alleyway. Ace's mind was unravelling at its seams the longer he looked at the mysterious entity. Until at last, Lincoln remembered, and understood just where he was. Knowingly, the child retreated to the shadows without a word.

"I'll... I'll catch with you later Lor- High Card ! You can have my spoon lick." Lincoln waved absent-mindedly. The comic book heroine wasn't about to wait for him to change his mind, and ran right along to Nirvanas of sweet spices and sugar. On his end, Lincoln went on the mysterious child's trail, and followed them down the alley. He kept going for a minute or two, without coming across any wall or tall fence to block his way. In fact, the other walls soon vanished, along with his superhero attire, all swallowed by darkness. A darkness unlike Toriel's basement hallway, or one of the Loud House's monthly blackouts.

This was a darkness he felt he recognised, and could trust wholefully, no questions asked. It was surreal. His kind of surreal for the last few days. And he knew who had the keys for it.

"Hello ? Ghost kid ?" called Lincoln into the darkness, the echo reverberating across his own noggin', in and out. "Did you want to tell me something ?" Nobody answered. Lincoln put on a small smile. "Do you wanna scold me again, with cryptic talk that makes my head hurts ? I know you love that !"

*Pain isn't amusing.

A squeak of surprise escaped Lincoln, and he half-expected to find a pale frown waiting for him as he swung around. Instead, he saw a dim column of light shining down from an inexistant ceiling, piercing the black void with severe hopes of catching someone's attention. And sitting at its base, with their unmistakable sweater on and their head resting on their knees, the mysterious Ghost Child was waiting.

"Well there you are !" exclaimed Lincoln with a buck-toothed smile, as he skidded his course to a stop at their level. "I saw you back there, you know ! I didn't say anything at first, because I wasn't all there yet, but when I took a good look at you, everything just clicked ! A lucid dream, just like last time ! Duh !" chuckled the boy with a snap of his fingers. "Although, I've gotta say, this one was much better. Hey, did you see me out there, being all heroic and stuff ?!" He began mimicking action poses. "One minute I'm on the ground, and the next, I'm up there planting bombs on a fifteen stories tall robot ! And then-"

*And then Flowey cornered you. You all stood helpless, until Toriel arrived, and made everything better. Just like last time.

The share cynism dribbling from this little review broke through Lincoln's frenzy like a (severe) punch through a flimsy comic book. He put on an annoyed frown, and mixed it with the colour of his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "It's nice to see you too." he grumbled while rubbing his shoulder. The ghastly guide pushed on.

*It's just that this dream clearly shows that you are taking him too lightly as a threat. You may have the numbers and your bond, but he's got ambitions and the power to make them happen. He's got Determination...

Lincoln winced. "And that's... bad, right ?"The child spared him a quick glance, and went on, the grip on their sweater sleeves increasing dramatically by the end.

*He could have killed all of you back then. Perhaps not in one swoop, but he could have. Then he would have exploited the loop, over and over, just like he said. That killer that has more Determination to kill than you have to forgive him ? He was was referring to himself.

*Though I can think of one other person. Or two...

"That does sound like something that psycho flower would do." nodded Lincoln fervishly despite his dread, as he plopped up besides the (entity). "I mean, what's the next step ? Trying to kill us in our sleep ? Hahaha !" Beat. "He wouldn't dare go that far, right ?"

*Of... course not, never. How do you come up with that nonsense ? Get real.

"...At least we're making good progress on our quest, very good progress ! Just like I promised !" said Lincoln with all the positiveness he could muster over another rant about the many ways he or his sisters were going to die down in the Underground. "We had to say good-bye to Toriel, which was almost harder than fighting her."

*She's done it before. Many times in fact.

Lincoln sighed. "I know..."

They shook their head. *You don't. You really don't...

"Can I share my feelings of the day without having you biting your cryptic (hullaballoo) into everything I say ?!" huffed Lincoln, giving them a meaningful glare. The strange child receded with a shrug, and allowed him to continue. "Thank you. So yeah, it was a sad sent-off for everybody, especially Lori. I had no idea she had all those feelings eating her up inside, until it was too late !" They looked like they had something to note on that last point, but he had their word against it. "Good thing we got a second chance. It was a real life-saver, and with impeccable timing ! Can you imagine if we('d been) forced to live on with that horrible mistake hanging over our heads forever ?"

They didn't need any word to avoid adding on that last part.

"But even though we can never forget that (atrocious) image, and it nearly destroyed our spirit, in the end, it made us stronger than ever, on every point possible. And without having to earn a single EXP !" boldly smiled Lincoln, that pumped-up feeling flowing across the veins of the fists he was clenching. A pulse of red lit up the walls of the dreamscape, and the mysterious child's eyes glowed a little brighter, both physically and in (affirmation). "Heh, and it didn't hurt for what came next. Maybe it's the huge gap since we fought anyone talking, but boy, those monsters' attacks got really brutal ! Ice Cap's icicle rain, the Snowdrakes' feather disks, Jerry, and Greater Dog, who just wouldn't give up ! It took so many turns to get him out of the battle, and he was just playing around !"

*...

"I mean, this all does feel like a big game, but the consequences are real, consarnit !" vented Lincoln while flailing his arms about like (jelly sticks), with the walls around him reacting accordingly, thundering and beast-like echoes plaguing the whole place. But after sighing the frustration that had been building up all day, the volatile dreamscape crawled back to its smooth darkness. "But even that wasn't so bad. The puzzles were fun, even if they were way too easy. We made so many friends in one day, and at least half of them didn't want to kill us !"

Mysterious child raised a hand. Then raised his thumb. Then went back to staring aimlessly into the void.

"Papyrus was the coolest of them all, for sure ! Did you see that costume ?! If I had it, I'd never stop wearing it, even for a shower ! I sure hope Leni gets her chance with this guy. I know we're supposed to aim for home, but I just want one kiss to happen before we go, even on the cheek will do ! And Lola and Ice Class, not seeing eachother again ? It just cannot not be a thing that doesn't happen !" said Lincoln with a squeal that would have made his sisters proud. His mind went blank when he realised that fact. "Huh. So that's how it feels to ship people in real life. I think I owe my sisters an apology." But the memory of a black eye severely downgraded that motivation. "At some point."

*...

"And Sans... wow, Sans." Lincoln scratched his neck (sheepishly), trying to put the lazy bones in words. "He's like a bizzare combination of Sunday me, how Luna is like when she listens to some blues, and Luan on a really creative day. All wrapped up in a short little bundle of enigma and ketchup stains." A shiver from the SOUL ran down Lincoln's spine, and across the ground. "But with that look he gave us ? I wonder if it's a mystery worth solving. By the way, why did you call him a liar before ?"

*Because he keeps smiling.

"..."

*...

"Am I ever gonna get a straight answer out of you ?"

*When you stop asking questions that can't have any other kind of answer than a straight one.

Thumb and index came to delicately pinch the tween's nose bridge, while he worked up a sigh of frustrating acceptance. He had learned before, through a lot of pies chucked at his face, that he wasn't an expert on people, that there weren't (patented) speeches that could be given to get someone to act one way or another. He just wished that of all people to hit a roadblock with, it didn't have to be the one that was always on his mind in the most litteral way possible.

If there was to be cooperation between him and them for the sake of this quest – and Lincoln wanted nothing more than that – there had to be a basic sense of trust. He had followed their tips and bouts of (talking) to the book since the very first day. What did he get in return ? Not even a name drop ! Trust 101 ! Even Flowey knew to...

Lincoln halted that train of thoughts, and set the tracks ablaze. If Flowey appeared as a positive parallel anywhere in the mix, then it was time to change the subject. "All in all, rubbing elbows with monsters has been pretty fun so far." Lincoln nodded fervishly. "It's not easy, and they are all shades of weird, but there's just something rewarding about getting to know them, you know ?"

The dreamscape, as if to drive his point home, lit up with many little floating screens. The sudden pouring of light startled the white-haired boy, but didn't even get a blink out of the mysterious child. His vision recovered, Lincoln found himself witnessing the events of those many days replaying before his very eyes. Some reflected the mix of purple and red of the dusty Ruins, while others showed delicate layers of white snow of the Snowdin (environs). And in every film, the Underground's colourful cast played their parts exactly as he remembered, down to the exact curve in Napstablook's pitiful frown.

Lincoln felt his heart flutter as misunderstandings and magic volleys slowly morphed into peace and laughter from both sides. Monsters and humans together, hand-in-miscellaneous-appendage, having a good time despite their differences ; their SOULs shine in perfect synch. "This is pretty great, don't you think ?" asked Lincoln, his voice coated in a wistful aura. He got no answer from his partner in mind, but a shivering bottom lip. "It just gets you thinking, though. What on Earth happened for those super nice folk to go to war with the humans ?"

*BECAUSE HUMANITY DEMANDED IT.

Lincoln, despite having been the target of Lucy's wrath more times than he was comfortable with, only now just found out how much venom could fit in just a whisper of four words. Enough to stop his heart. He could see the fury creeping back into their blood red pupils, the same they had displayed when humanity (was) brought to the table last night. It was especially frightening when he, a human since birth, was aimed at by their gripping glare of absolute contempt, and the (peaceful) images on the screens fell into static.

*A monster can be violent, but they never NEED to be. Not humans. Humans are constantly at war, often amongst themselves, fighting over the pettiest of issues.

The screens came back on with a change of scenery. Namely, a scenery of violence that still rang familiar to Lincoln. He saw two guys fighting in an alleyway on one screen, a monster truck making metal pancakes out of cars on another, and even Rip Hardcore (gratuitiously) headbutting a moose, which Lincoln realised didn't look so good from this point of view.

*Every generation of humans saw the birth of worst 'monsters' than the ones they imprisonned. And as I found out, always finding more and more ways to spread the fight. To spread the Genocide.

The screens were now blaring pictures straight out of history manuals and Lisa's research archives. Lincoln didn't recognise all those men, but he knew the weight of their atrocities lingering behind their (figé) stares. Finally , a much bigger screen deployed itself, stretching along the two children's entire field of vision. The black-and-white display showcased an island from afar, peacefully resting in the middle of the ocean. The sound of the waves peacefully mixed with the cries of the seagulls, but bothered by the whistling of an almost imperciptible object falling down.

Suddenly, a blinding flash, followed by a deafening sound, shattering the tranquil atmosphere. In just an instant, the island was gone, along with every speck of life that was proliferating there. No tree stood erect on its grounds, as they didn't stand a chance against the rising cloud in the shape of a mushroom. A parasite blown to the size of buildings, that only aimed to destroy and infect. The wager of the most destructive war the world had ever known.

*Do you get it now ? It's the same thing. To work together, humans need a common enemy that upset their narrow-minded standards. They have to pour their whole hatred onto that little totem of spite, so that they can feel satisfied, appeased. Monsters were that enemy, so humans casted them away. Simple as that.

Lincoln felt his stomach drop in his shoes, as his guilt soared past the dreamscape's (unseeable) ceiling, despite having no part in those (crimes) apart from learning about them in class and seeing them on TV, mostly when the resident little genius owned the remote. When you looked at it this way, humanity as a whole seemed pretty horrible. Peering down at his hand, a wave of shame encased his heart. Those five (sausages) could be descending from the hand that banished monsterkind over nothing ! At least... it seemed that it was for no reason at all.

But then, Lincoln looked closer at this little hand of his. A hand that had opted for the path of Mercy, instead of a path of mindless destruction. He raised his head, and caught his reflection in the static of the floating screen. It seemed that it could only show the truth, (realised) Lincoln with a soft smile, that he addressed to the brooding entity next to him.

"But... what about us ?" he inquired, earning him a cold but expecting side glance. "We're humans, in the flesh and mind, and we don't hurt monsters. Not to defend ourselves, and definitely not for the heck of it. The option was there on every fight, but we never dared to take it ! Except for that one time, but, yeah, we both know where and how that left us." Lincoln chuckled grimly, keeping his head down to avoid that fleeting memory. The sound of the blade ripping across fur was painful enough to (endure). "So... where does that put us ?"

*Well, that's easy to answer. You are... You are just... A-All of you... Okay, maybe you're not so easy to place. You're a weird bunch, okay ?!

"...Thanks ?" said Lincoln, a little amused. Down there, that was more of a compliment than anything else.

*It's true, I don't understand you. I mean, I've been digging through your memories non-stop-

"With my permission, of course." mumbled Lincoln, seeing another breach in what little privacy he still had.

*-and I've seen your dynamics. All your fights over that 'remote' thing, your squabbles for a treat, the trail of destruction you leave for a seat in your vehicle. You are every bit as violent (?) I know humans to be, and spiteful too. Today was quite the display of that.

"Wha ? You mean Goat Mom ? But we fixed it ! We went back in time, remember ?! Lori made peace with herself, and everything's better now !" (cried) the clearly upset Loud brother. "It's guaranteed : with that kind of power under our belt, we can't leave any (damage) behind !" He was so sure of himself, he didn't bother checking out the faint display of his sisters' SOULs around his own. The green one in particular seemed to have lost quite some lush and (petulance).

*Yes. You fixed 'everything'. And that's... quite the mystery to me. For your Determination to take you back for those selfless reasons, even after she lied to you, and betrayed her vow to protect you all.

"But we know she didn't really mean to-"

*THAT'S NOT THE POINT ! She almost killed you, and you forgave her ! Many monsters tried to end you, some even as their job, and you forgave them all ! Made friends with them ! Developped inane crushes ! Made them part of your family ! HOW ARE YOU, A PACK OF VIOLENCE ADDICTED HUMANS, SO DARN FORGIVING TO CREATURES YOU BARELY KNOW, WHEN YOU JUST FELL DOWN FROM A HOLE ONE DAY, AND CAN BRING NOTHING BUT MISERY THEY'LL NEVER HEAL FROM ?!

Lincoln was impressed that the volume alone he hadn't been blasted straight back through (Casinopolis), from one end of the city to the other. But combine it with this sudden explosion of anger, and it was a miracle that he hadn't gone around four or five times in a row ! However, the ringing of his eardrums wasn't the main thing Lincoln became immediately aware of. The wrath he had felt in his mindmate's (declaration) was different, he just knew it. Like the difference between how he felt when Luna embar(r)assed him in front of Christina, and... when the Suit Incident went too far. He had exploded with rage in both cases, but the latter came from much more than the present (mistake).

There had been tears, anguish, a freedom that didn't feel liberating at all. It had made him miserable, kinda how they...

"Are you crying ?" asked Lincoln softly. For the first time, the boy saw genuine (distraught) in his sort-of-companion's eyes, before they hid their expression in the comfort of their knees. Lincoln hastily tried to (rectifier le tir). "H-Hey, it's alright to cry ! I mean, you have no idea how much I've cried in my life, sometimes for nothing at all !"

*No, I know. You once cried over a bunch of comics getting soaked. Not even a good arch.

"The 'Muscle Fish : Lost Chronicles of the Red Abyss' series was a timeless treasure, and it was lost to the inane games of war !" wailed Lincoln, cursing his bad aim with that water pistol for the hundredth time since the start of the summer. He then caught on that he was getting way off course, and plopped his behind back on his seat. "Sorry about that. Me and comics, you don't know how much... Oh right, you do."

*Lincoln ?

'Did they just say... my name ?' Lincoln gasped internally, but lost no time taking the chance of forging a bond with the cryptic spirit. "Uh, yeah ?"

*Do you think... that even the worst person can change ? That they can be a good prson if they just try to be one ?

"U-Um, I'm not the best for existential questions, but... yeah, I guess so ! If they put the effort into it, I see no reason for it to fail."

*Ha... ha ha... what a stupid question. Here's a better one.

*If someone is born a mistake, lives on an accident after the other, and dies through failure... why are they allowed a second chance at all ?

At this, Lincoln found himself truly stumped. He was no Lisa, but he had his fair share of experience when it came to read between the lines, and boy, there was one messed up chapter he could discern right now. He opened his mouth, not even sure if words of comfort or a (throw) of questions was going to pour out (en trombe). He just wanted something to come out ! But he slapped a hand against his lips at once. The mysterious child, their hunched form completely still, looked as fragile as an eggshell. The last thing they needed was for him to smother him with (unfeeling) meddling.

Only one thing would work then. The truth.

"Because they deserve it. Whatever mistake they did, it's a chance to be happy. They should take it, and make a ton of friends, and have lots and lots fun !"

A truth that was every bit of cheesy as it could possibly get. Lincoln's face lit up with embarassement for saying something so sickeningly corny. Had his sisters been there, he would never hear the end of it. But instead of a full-blown laugh mockery, he perceived a weak snort. A spark of happiness. Lincoln was not going to let it die so easily !

"Look, I don't know what humanity did to you, and I can't say I understand all that you've been through, I really don't. But if there's one thing I've learned in a family as big as mine, it's that being lonely should never be a fatality. I mean, if they hooked you up with me, a guy who can't be alone if he tried, then it must really not be your destiny !" cracked Lincoln, with another snort signaling that he was (on a roll). "And personally ? I don't think that brooding and mysterious schtick all the time really fits you. That narrative of yours had some really silly bits."

*P-Pff ! I read the audience, that's all.

"Then there was that passionate side when you helped booing Jerry."

*It's Jerry. He's got a face even Toriel couldn't love.

"Aaaaand things went zany when those chocolate chips got involved~"

*Well of course ! Who can stay stoic when there is chocolate involved ?! Madmen, that's who !

"Yeah ! See that ? You look so much nicer when you care !" rejoiced Lincoln, doing a little jig. However, he quickly caught the deadpan stare of his spirit companion, which made him (shyly) realise that this wasn't much of a compliment. "U-Um, not that you don't look good all the time, I love the rosy cheeks, honest. A-AND, I mean that as a friend, of course ! Pure platonic, I've got a girlfriend that I love very, very much, and I am so digging my hole deeper the more I talk, so I'm just gonna start smiling awkwardly without a word now !"

The mysterious child's glare intensified, amping up the annoyance to seemingly punch a hole straight through Lincoln's pearly whites, and finish the chip in his largest one. What the sweating boy couldn't guess, was that the scowl was only a (façade), a flimsy dam trying to hold in a (torrent) of euphoria. And it crumbled right away, gracing Lincoln's ears to their first honest laugh. One they had been holding in for quite some time, it seemed.

At first, Lincoln was overjoyed to see a positive breakthrough in his mindmate's attitude. But as the hilarity dragged on, without interruption or any sign of slowing down, his bashfulness steadily grew, before getting the (better) of him. "Hey, come on ! When I say it's good to have fun, I don't mean at my expense !" argued the pouting youngster, but it only made them cackle harder. It was another minute before they finally could place three words together without falling into another laughing fit.

*Hoo hoo... whoo... I'm sorry, it's just, *snort*, your unnatural levels of dorkiness remind me of someone I used to mess with, a lot. He was even easier to trigger than you, if you can believe that.

Lincoln rolled his eyes with a snicker. "Pshh, have you really been digging through my memories ? Living with ten sisters get you a pretty thick skin, you know." His attempt at playing it cool fell flat on its face when a finger poked at his ribs, and made him giggle. "Not there please, i-it's my secret weak spot to tickles !"

The mysterious child's smile grew wistful, as they kept their merciless assault at their host's abdomen, and sent him chortling and begging for a ceasefire. Of all the humans to be tagged with, their brother in SOUL, they had certainly been sent an odd (one), surrounded with an even (stranger) family.

With white hair as a bonus. It felt like it was just yesterday...

But just before the Treaty of Tickle(stricht) could be signed, a warbling echo descended from the pinpoint of light shining above.

"...coln... Lin...o... Wake u... incoln, get up, sleepy..."

*It seems you are needed elsewhere.

"W-What ?" wheezed Lincoln in a heap of soreness. So sore in fact, that he was just noticing the feeling of weightlessness taking over his body, and pulling it off the ground. The light was calling for him, in a myriad of voices he instantly recognised, and the situation was crystalline.

"Looks like it's time to wake up." said Lincoln matter-of-factly. Knowing he couldn't fight his (envol), he turned to look back at his companion, for whom he had high hopes to have engaged the (whirling cogs) of a beautiful friendship. "I have to go ! Rememeber, if you need someone to speak to, or if you want some Loud brand of fun, just ask, okay ?! Our group's got plenty of (place) to share ! And my sister Lucy would be on dark cloud thirteen if she could speak to you ! Well, take care, buddy !"

Such blind faith in them. The lonesome child had many names for it. Naive. Childish. Hazardeous. And just plain idiotic to begin with.

But the word that was hammering around their own mind at their moment, was 'Endearing'. And it felt only natural to give some of that trust back.

*Lincoln !

The boy, just as the (light) was about to swallow him whole, peered down once more. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as he locked his gaze with theirs. The contact had been made. A bond had been created, beyond time, beyond space, and beyond the SOUL.

A bond of DETERMINATION.

*My name is...

…

"Lincoln ! It's time to get up bro, we've got a lot more exploring to do today !" said Luna for what felt like the eleventh time.

Despite the lack of sun rays tickling their eyelids, the Loud siblings had grown accustomed to it due to the few days spent at Goat Mom's humble abode. A few additional luxes was all it took for them to tell a sunrise apart from the darkness of the night. As such, the girls were already out of bed, even sleepy little Lily, who was currently tucked in Leni's arms. But she wasn't any sleepier than their brother, who despite their best efforts, was still deep into slumber.

"We've been calling him forever ! Why won't he wake up ?!" complained Lola, pulling another (rolls) out of her hair. No one knew where she got them from, and they felt safer not asking. Annoyed, she began rolling the (curl) against his cheeks, and eventually into his nose. "Wake up, will ya ?! Your princess commands you !"

"Really ? You think that's going to make him snap out of dreamland ?" deadpanned Lana.

Lola huffed at her twin's rudimentary remark. "If he's dreaming, then my voice will be magnified, and so will be the fear of repercussions for crossing me ! He wakes up, and I tell him I completely forgive him, even though I wasn't even mad in the first place."

"Devious. But practical." acknowledged Lucy, making Lola's (curls) pop off in fright.

"Not practical enough, it seems." pointed out Luan with a concerned frown for the strange bouts of tossing and mumbling her assistant was currently going through. "He's still sleeping like a rock. Anyone's got a boulder plan ? Hahaha, get it ? Man, five minutes awake, and I'm already cragging myself up !"

"Keep the material for Sans, Luan." Lori stated in a dry tone that begged for any hot beverage or food to invade her taste buds, and truly wake her up. Back then, the smell of the pie-cakes waiting for her were all she needed to get a spring in her step. Still, she would not let (tiredness) get her down from her role. "Okay, let's go for an easy plan. Like-"

"(Mimicking) Ronnie-Anne's voice, and her tough love ?" grinned Lynn with a crack of her knuckles.

"Hitting a note on my (instrument) only dogs can hear ?" offered Luna as she swiftly spinned her harmonica on a finger.

"The obvious solution ?" quipped Lisa, her eyes rolling and her pocket defibrilator sparking up for some instant, if slightly charred, (reality-awakening).

'Need coffee. Need it so, so bad.' groaned Lori internally, already spent before the prospect of the long, tedious, and mind-throbbing day her siblings alone were making today to be. "I, was thinking of something along the lines of cold water splashed into his face ? Like a normal person would do ?"

"Oh ho ho yeah, that makes more sense." "You're the boss, sis boss." "I'll keep the pads warm just in case."

Lori allowed herself a small sigh of relief. At least they were receptive. But before she could even stand up to get a glass from the (tap), the action was rendered useless by Lincoln's awakeing. His eyes exploded open, and his frazzled look added confusion to his sisters' collective relief. His brow drenched in sweat, his short of breath appearance, his hands shaking ever so slightly. But no fear seemed to (ripple) across his wide eyes, only a strange kind of wonder.

"Well, it's about time, sleepyhead ! Wasn't yesterday's snowball show enough for ya ? You're trying to beat your big sis' nap record too ? You sneaky overachiever, you !" Lynn smirked merrily, then armed her fist near her brother's face, waiting for a reaction. But Lincoln hadn't even registered her presence. "Aw man, you didn't flinch ! Um, you aren't blinking much either. This is a bit freaky, not gonna lie."

"Hey, is everything alright, bro ?" fussed Lana as she snapped her fingers before his face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Gasp ! Maybe you have." quipped Lucy with an unmistakable peak of interest, that came along with a fanged smile of excitement. Breakfast could wait until she could hear some news from the other side of the gasket. Or in this case, the other side of her brother's psyche. "I'd bet my collection of baby teeth that you were meeting with the mysterious entity again. Have they told you their goal ? The reason why they chose you as their host ? Or perhaps have they shown you the blood-soaked tapestry of their tragic origins ?" she breathed in absolute Goth bliss, before seizing her brother by the shoulders. "Up and at 'em, brother, give me the juicy stuff !"

"Chara."

Everyone stopped. Everything stopped. Any conversation on the side, nail filling, or pun crafting had been put to an immediate halt, in favour of a word that was sending chills through their whole body as it bounced against the walls, as well as the most hidden recesses of their minds.

It was Lynn who found the courage to spell out everyone's thoughts down to two words. "Come again ?"

A hand on his steady chest, Lincoln lifted his chin to gaze at his sisters. None of them could have missed the red dot in his pupils, before it blinked out of existence.

"Their name... is Chara."

Beldam broke out before breakfeast.


End file.
